Winterport water trustees defend district

WINTERPORT – The trustees of the water district are in a boil over recent criticism about the condition of the town’s fire hydrants.

The trustees believe the finger-pointing discredits the utility and met Wednesday night with members of the Board of Selectmen and Town Manager Leo LaChance in an attempt to clear the air. A day later, Winterport Water & Sewer District Treasurer Lledrew Hackett still was steaming over the tone of the meeting.

“It’s a terrible thing for town government to be going around and scaring people,” Hackett said Thursday. “These reckless statements they are making are a real concern to the water district.”

Hackett was referring to recent comments from the town office and fire department about the presence of stones and pebbles in water drawn from the hydrants. The fire department has refused to use the hydrants until they are repaired to its satisfaction. LaChance supported the department’s stance.

While Hackett acknowledged that rocks were discovered in hydrants a few years ago, the problem was addressed and the most recent testing found the hydrants to be trouble free. Despite the hydrants having received a clean bill of health from an independent engineering firm hired by the town, criticism continues to flow from the town office and fire department, said Hackett.

Hackett said the district performed its own tests on the system’s 37 hydrants this summer. It also contracted with the Maine Rural Water Commission to conduct similar flow testing and measurements in response to the request by the fire department. Dirigo Engineering of Waterville was hired to undertake a complete hydraulic analysis. According to the report Dirigo issued in November, “no rocks or sediment were observed in existing hydrants during flow tests.”

During Wednesday’s meeting, Hackett received board approval of a prepared statement that made note of his more than 44 years serving the town as selectman, tax assessor and his position with the water and sewer district. In it, Hackett stated that while he found most of the people he encountered in town over the years were “very good to work with, not to mention fair and honest,” he was disturbed by the “several articles in the press and even on the television that in my opinion were meant to discredit the trustees and employees of the” water and sewer district.

Hackett said it was “unfortunate that town employees such as the fire chief and town manager are allowed to release information in the news that cause unnecessary worry for our ratepayers and residents.”

When contacted Thursday for his impression of the meeting with the water district, LaChance declined to comment. LaChance said he intended to prepare a report about the meeting for selectmen but declined to comment on when the report would be completed.

Hackett pointed out in his statement that the recent study by Dirigo concluded the hydrants were in fine working condition. Hackett expressed concern that the public complaints might affect homeowners’ insurance rates and send the message that the town was a “bad risk.”

The sewer district serves 370 customers and the water district serves 300. The town currently is seeking a $300,000 federal grant to upgrade district utilities in conjunction with the Department of Transportation’s plans to rebuild Route 1A through the village. Hackett commended LaChance for his diligence in working to obtain the needed funding.

“He’s doing a good job on that and I’ve told him so,” Hackett said.

He said he found it hard to fathom how LaChance could support the district on one issue and be critical about other matters. In defending the trustees’ management of the utility, Hackett said the five-member panel “have obligations that we take very seriously and we are on track and do not intend to be derailed by irresponsible people, even if the town employs them.”