Yes on Question 4

Do you favor a $6,950,000 bond issue for the following purposes:

$2,000,000 to construct and upgrade water pollution control facilities, providing the state match for $10,000,000 in federal funds;

$1,500,000 to provide grants to construct water pollution control facilities;

$500,000 to clean up uncontrolled hazardous substance sites;

$500,000 for the small community grant program to provide grants to rural communities to solve local pollution problems;

$500,000 for the overboard discharge removal program to provide grants to municipalities and individuals to eliminate licensed overboard dis-charges to shellfish areas, great ponds and drainage areas of less than 10 square miles;

$1,200,000 to support drinking water system improvements that address public health threats, providing the state match for $4,140,000 in federal funds; and,

$750,000 to construct environmentally sound water sources that help avoid drought damage to crops?

.

Unlike past years, when environmental bond issues have been a grab bag of projects, this year’s Question 4 is fairly straightforward. The entire sum, $6.9 million, would be used to address water quality and quantity. The bond package, if approved, would bring in $14 million in matching funds. Because this work needs to be done, voters should vote yes on this package.

The environmental bond that ap-pears on the November ballot is half the size of the one originally presented to the Legislature. Facing competition from transportation and education bonds, lawmakers wisely removed funds for state parks from this bond package. They will be part of a bond package that the governor plans to propose next year to replenish funding for the Land for Maine’s Future Program while also garnering money for the upkeep of state parks.

The scaled-back water-quality bond includes seven separate items. The largest is $2 million that the Department of Environmental Protection would distribute, along with the $10 million in federal matching funds, to communities through a revolving loan fund to help build and upgrade water pollution control facilities. This would help communities like Bangor and Brewer, which rely on low-interest loans to fund projects like the current effort to contain the rainwater that can overwhelm municipal sewage treatment systems and pollute the Penobscot River during storms.

Communities and homeowners would also be eligible for $1.5 million in grants to help fix sewer treatment problems that are degrading water quality if the bond passes and $500,000 would be available to stop overboard discharges that foul shellfish harvesting areas. Another $1.2 million, which would bring in more than $4 million in federal matching funds, would be made available through the Department of Human Services’ drinking water revolving loan fund.

The Department of Agriculture would receive $750,000 as part of a fund to help farmers with grants to dig wells and build farm ponds so they can irrigate their crops without draining local lakes and rivers during droughts.

Lastly, the bond includes $500,000 to clean up hazardous waste sites and the same sum to provide grants to local communities to solve local pollution problems.

These are unexciting, but necessary projects that will improve local water quality and reduce potential sources of pollution. To continue this work, voters should support Question 4.