Dresden planners discuss wastewater discharge, Wiscasset Newspaper, November 19, 2009

Dresden planners discuss wastewater discharge

By SUSAN JOHNS

Staff Reporter

Some members of Dresden’s planning board Tuesday night expressed their displeasure that Bridge Academy is allowed to discharge wastewater into the Eastern River.

No one voiced concern that the wastewater might be unhealthy. It’s already been treated by the time it’s released, Planning Board Chairman Richard Graffam explained after the meeting. Bridge Academy trustees are asking the state for permission to discharge up to 500 gallons of "secondary treated sanitary wastewater," according to a public notice of the application.

Some planning board members, along with Dresden Code Enforcement Officer Bruce Engert, questioned whether discharge into the river is really the only method that can be used for dealing with the building’s waste.

"I find it ironic that there is no site on this property that would support a subsurface [system]," Engert said.

The planning board meets at Bridge Academy, located at 44 Middle Road. The former school now houses a local library, and is overseen by a board of trustees, officials said.

Board member Jeff Pierce noted that other property owners have to spend tens of thousands of dollars installing and maintaining septic systems. "We make other people do it, and Bridge Academy is immune. I think this is crap," Pierce said.

"There’s no excuse," Pierce said at another point. "There’s plenty of systems that would work on this parcel."

No one representing the trustees was at Tuesday’s meeting. The discussion was not listed on the agenda. It arose after Graffam gave board members copies of the public notice for Bridge Academy’s application to the state, for its next waste discharge license.

Board members discussed possibly contacting selectmen about the matter. Graffam advised them to act only as individuals, not as a board.

"We don’t get involved with this kind of thing," he said. "We review projects. We’re not supposed to go looking for things."

So, board members asked, why were they receiving the notice? Graffam reminded the board that he shares with them all the paperwork that is in his mail at the town office.

The chairman said he would pass everything along, even "if someone puts cartoons in there."

Engert said being the town’s plumbing inspector does not give him the authority to try to block the Bridge Academy license request. He explained that Bridge Academy already has what it needs "in large part" to meet the requirements for the license – a site evaluator’s signed statement that the property is not suited for any other kind of waste disposal.

"The library association is allowed to pick the site evaluator," Engert told the board. "It should be the town or the state, and then it would be an unbiased opinion."

Some wondered why neither the planning board nor selectmen are part of the approval process for the state license.

"This is a slap in the face," Johnston said.

The public notice regarding the application lists an address for submitting public comment or seeking information: Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Water Quality Management, Waste Discharge License Coordinator, 17 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333-0017.

In other business Tuesday, the board found that Matthew Rice’s plans were "essentially complete," for an auto repair business at his home, located at 436 Blinn Hill Road. Board members told Rice he needs to provide a copy of the deed for the property, as well as documentation of a method for oil containment.

Board member Joe Wiley praised Rice for his efforts in preparing the materials the board reviewed. "That helps us help you," he said.

Wiley asked Rice to make sure that the sign he plans to place near the road does not block the view needed to safely exit the driveway. "I’ve seen several signs that do that," Wiley explained.

The board scheduled a site walk for 6 p.m. December 1, followed by a public hearing at that night’s board meeting. The meeting will begin at 7:10 p.m., at Bridge Academy.

Following the planning board’s approval, Rice could then seek a business permit from selectmen, Graffam said.