We testified in support of LD 2187 ” An Act To Update Certain Water Quality Standards And To Reclassify Certain Waters Of The State” as presented. This bill reflects the Triennial Water Quality review recommendations made by DEP and approved by the Board of Environmental Protection.
The bill as drafted, which is based off of data from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, recommends that the Lower Androscoggin and a portion of the Presumpscot remain Class C due to the lack of consistent data that the river meets Class B requirements.
The amendment presented at the hearing would upgrade the Lower Androscoggin from Gulf Island Pond to Worumbo Dam despite the fact that they do not meet the requirements of the classification. Scott Reed of ND Paper also testified in support of the bill as written without the amendment.
This reclassification would have major impacts on dischargers – including mills and wastewater districts, without a robust and comprehensive dataset supporting such a change. The dischargers impacted would include, but are not limited to, Lewiston-Auburn Pollution Control Authority, Brookfield Gulf Island Dam, the Jay Mill site, Rumford/Mexico Sewer District, ND Paper Rumford Mill, Livermore Falls/Jay Waste Water, Bethel Wastewater, and non-point sources such as stormwater, agriculture, and commercial sites.
For the Androscoggin, modeling suggests BOD reductions of roughly 50% would be needed for the dischargers above Gulf Island Pond and about 33% below Gulf Island Pond.
Reclassification carries significant consequences, including more stringent permit limits, dam water quality certifications, additional monitoring obligations, and in many cases costly treatment upgrades. For the pulp and paper mills and other large employers that anchor Maine’s rural economies, such outcomes would have ripple effects well beyond facility operations — jeopardizing jobs, tax revenues, and the economic stability of communities that depend on these facilities.
It is therefore essential that classification decisions be grounded in conclusive data and a clear demonstration that the receiving waters can sustain higher standards under natural conditions.