ELLSWORTH – For many years, gallons and gallons of waste have been dumped into the Union River from the city’s wastewater treatment facility as an inevitable byproduct of an aging and saturated plant.

But an announcement made Tuesday – Earth Day – on the banks of that same river will allow Ellsworth to replace its existing plant and, in turn, preserve the environmental integrity of its waterway.

Officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development national office joined local and state leaders Tuesday afternoon at Union River Park to announce $10.7 million in funding for a new wastewater treatment facility. It’s the second-largest funding package of its kind ever awarded by USDA to a municipality.

“Ellsworth is a great example of projects we are supporting around the country,” said Jacqueline Ponti-Lazaruk, USDA’s assistant administrator for water and environmental programs, who presented the check to Ellsworth officials Tuesday. “This substantial investment by the city will improve the water quality of the Union River, allowing the community to continue to enjoy it for recreational purposes.”

A group of children from the Down East Family YMCA were bused in to the event, symbolically suggesting that Ellsworth is investing in its future while keeping an eye on environmental concerns.

City Council Chairman John Phillips, who accepted the check with City Manager Michelle Beal, said the project has been a long time coming.

Beal, too, said she was relieved to have the final funding piece in place for the estimated $14 million project.

“It’s been almost four years that we’ve been working on this and there are so many people who have supported those efforts,” she said. “It’s a very exciting day for Ellsworth.”

The $10.7 million funding package includes $4 million in outright grants and another $6.7 million in low-interest loans. Last June, Ellsworth secured about $2 million from a statewide bond to be used for a new wastewater treatment facility. The city also has received $500,000 from the state Community Development Block Grant program and $300,000 from a congressional earmark added to December’s omnibus spending package.

City officials have said in the past that some money for a new facility will be generated by raising user fees, but Beal said Ellsworth is committed to minimizing taxpayer burden as much as possible.

The city has long been planning to replace its 30-year-old wastewater facility, which has been plagued with problems for the last several years, despite many mitigation steps. Last October, the city agreed to pay about $13,000 to the Department of Environmental Protection for violations, and part of that agreement included a commitment to building a new facility.

The city already has purchased a site off Bayside Road to build a new plant and has contracted with Woodard & Curran to begin the design process.

Now that funding is set, Beal said, the engineers could begin site work within the next month, although the facility likely would not be completed until 2010.

erussell@bangordailynews.net

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