MILO — A public hearing to discuss the proposed water-treatment plant will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 20, at the Town Hall.

The federal government has mandated through the Clean Water Act that towns like Milo must equip their public drinking water systems with a filtration system to remove bacteria and other impurities if their water is drawn from a surface source like a lake or pond. The deadline for towns chosen for the first phase of this federal mandate, such as Milo, have until December to bring their plants into compliance.

Trustees have considered asking the Environmental Protection Agency for an extension on the deadline. According to Lura Williams, treasurer, a representative from the EPA will be attending the meeting to discuss the filtration requirement and the upcoming deadline. Trustees are expected to find out at the meeting if a deadline extension is possible, Williams said.

Information also will be available at the meeting on how the project will affect water rates and the town’s tax rate, she said. The district’s auditor also will attend to discuss district finances.

The district has received approval for a $600,000 loan and a $375,000 grant through FmHA, and recently was awarded a $720,000 loan and a $490,000 grant.

At a meeting in May, trustees expressed concern over the difficulty of securing the necessary permits and completing preliminary work for a groundbreaking this month, which would be the latest possible date if the filtration system was to go on-line this year and meet the mandated deadline.

There also has been concern expressed by town officials over the cost of the project. In addition to building the filtration system, the water project also calls for the installation of a raw-water transmission main and a distribution main on Park Street, bringing the total cost of the project to $2.1 million.