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New 2,200-foot Sewer Pipe Crosses Long Lake to Pelletier Island

October 16, 2007 - ST. AGATHA - Residents of Pelletier Island on Long Lake and those on Cleveland Road in St. Agatha will now have access to the town's sewer system due to new lines that go up the road and across the lake.

The new line is 2,200 feet in total length and is weighted down by cement anchors. There will actually be two pipes, one for use and one for a backup. Both pipes were threaded through the anchors and rest at the bottom of the lake. The new line will not affect normal activities on the lake, such as fishing and boating. Town Manager Ryan Pelletier said.

He said, "There will be no impact." "For the town to get sewer out to the island is huge," said Pelletier, adding that the project will be good for future development and "a real benefit to the town."

The project cost $2.8 million to complete and will provide access to approximately 90 new users. There are 55 camps on Pelletier Island, with only around a dozen year-round residents, but more than 200 seasonally, Pelletier said. Previously, residents had private systems and holding tanks, but the soil on the island is not conducive to maintaining septic systems and many were failing.

Around four years ago, Pelletier and Community Development Director Paul Bernier began to discuss the prospect of bringing a line up the Cleveland Road, but it was not cost-effective. The addition of the residents on the island made the project possible.

The town's engineering firm, Woodard and Curran, developed a plan and the project went out to bid in May of this year. S.E. McMillan of Bangor won the bid and began construction in midJuly. The line placement began at 6 a.m., yesterday, Oct. 2. The system has a one-year warranty, after which it will be up to the town to maintain the line, just like the rest of the sewer system.

Pelletier called the pipes "pretty tough" and said they are made of very heavy plastic. Eleven tons of weights prevent the pipes from rising, as well as the fact that the lines will be full of water and wastewater. Workers installed the line from a public boat landing. S.E. McMillan built a temporary walkway into the lake to construct the lines that will be removed after the project. The company also put up a barrier to prevent any silt created by the construction from entering the lake.

The low-pressure system also includes 64 individual grinder pump stations and several hundred feet of service line to connect the individual homes and camps to the service line. If the system is affected by a lengthy power outage, the town will manually pump the lines clear.

TheUSDA Rural Development Office, which provided the town with a $1.72 million grant and a $578,000 loan, financed most of the project. The Maine Department of Economic and Community Development awarded a $200,000 grant to the town and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection approved a $300,000 loan to complete the financing package.

Francine Lagasse and her husband John watched some of the construction. Francine Lagasse said the project is "pretty awesome" and that S.E. McMillan is being very considerate of residents during construction, including clearing mud from the road.

SOURCE: ST. JOHN VALLEY TIMES

DATE: 10-03-2007


Lakes: Long Lake
Regions: Presque Isle


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