YES ON QUESTION 3

“Do you favor an $8,900,000 bond issue for purposes related to agriculture and the environment in anticipation of approximately $31,000,000 in federal funds to be used for sustainable water sources and irrigation system development, loans from a wastewater state revolving fund, grants from a small community grants program, support of public water system improvements and repairs and improvements to a veterinary technician facility at the University of Maine?”

This bond will fund important upgrades and improvements to drinking water and wastewater systems throughout the state. This is necessary work, and the bond should be approved.

Question 3 provides $3.6 million for the construction and upgrading of large water pollution control systems with $1 million set aside for small communities. Communities eligible to receive money for such projects from a state revolving loan fund include Baileyville where the wastewater treatment plan violates effluent flows during rainy weather.

Brewer, where a shed needs to be built to stop groundwater contamination from runoff from uncovered sand and salt piles, and Camden, where worn-out equipment needs to be replaced in a pump station, could also qualify. The Department of Environmental Protection estimates that $270 million worth of upgrades are needed in the next five years.

The bond also has $3.5 million for drinking water improvements in 17 communities, some of which cannot accommodate significant economic growth because of aged, undersized water system. These grants would go toward projects such as purchasing equipment to remove nitrate contamination in Washburn and replacing a more than 100-year-old cast iron water main in Winterport.

These are not exciting projects, but they will improve the environment and local health and could help with economic development. David Littell, deputy commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection, says companies want to locate in areas where wastewater infrastructure is already in place so communities with inferior systems are bypassed. Deficient treatment plants and septic systems are also responsible for shutting down parts of the coast to shellfish harvesting each year, putting harvesters out of work.

The bond also includes $1.8 million for two agricultural efforts with $1 million to help farmers move toward irrigation and water storage and away from taking water out of rivers and streams. During droughts, when farmers need the water, withdrawal can harm aquatic life. The remaining $800,000 would be used for repairs and improvements at the J.F. Witter Teaching and Research Center at the University of Maine. These upgrades are necessary to allow the school’s livestock facility to meet federal requirements for research and teaching.

Like others this year, this bond has been scaled back and will do only a small portion of the work that needs to be done. Still, voters should approve Question 3.