On Monday night, Wiscasset selectmen reviewed a list of capital improvements for the town’s aging wastewater treatment plant. The last major upgrade to the facility located at the north end of Railroad Avenue was in 1992.

The largest spending item was an estimated $100,000 to extend the plant’s outflow pipe in the Sheepscot River to comply with environmental regulations. The extension had been “put on the back burner” because of the cost, William “Buck” Rines, the treatment plant supervisor since 1997, said.

Rines led selectmen and members of the budget committee on a tour of the plant. Overall the facility is in good shape, although Rines indicated where some minor brick and mortar repairs were needed on the east side of the plant’s main building. The two-story structure houses the office, monitoring equipment and a garage.

He said the steel door frames on the main, headworks and blower buildings were all badly rusted from exposure to the elements and needed replacing. Doing so will make the buildings more energy-efficient and save on winter heating. The cost was estimated at $2,500.

Rines pointed to two large domed structures near the main building, explaining they were clarifiers where the sludge settles. Both needed to be repainted.

He said the plant had replaced about half of the treatment tank’s 144 diffusers. He explained the round, stone disks served as filters. The diffuser disks cost between $13 to $14 apiece and have a life expectancy of 15 years.

Wiscasset’s sewer system includes 18 electrical pump stations. Rines said he has three small emergency generators to use in case of a power outage but could use a few more.

Rines provided a list of both short and long-term capital improvements. Listed as “high priority” were the installation of standby power at the plant which has been partially completed and extending the outflow pipe. Also listed was upgrading the plant’s controls and installing a SCADA monitoring system.

“Is this everything you can think of,” Selectmen’s Chairman Judy Colby asked.

“No, I can think of a lot more,” Rines responded, adding he’d update his list.

Colby said the board wanted to address all of the concerns brought up in a recent Maine Departmental of Environmental Protection review.

The plant serves about 850 customers in Wiscasset and Edgecomb. All of Edgecomb’s customers are on Davis Island. Customers are billed quarterly. Rines noted Edgecomb was responsible for maintenance of the sewer main to the Wiscasset shoreline.

During the discussion Rines said he’d prefer it if all the sewer user fees went directly into maintenance of the treatment plant. Monies left over at the end of the fiscal year are currently returned to the town’s general fund.

In his monthly report to selectmen dated Oct. 5, Rines wrote the plant’s average flows were 139,000 gallons per day, 22 percent of the treatment plant’s licensed flow. “Our licensed flow is 620,000 gallons per day,” he wrote.

Rines noted the town had received $45,959 in user fees for September; 24 percent of the anticipated sewer revenues have been collected.

In the last annual town report, Rines wrote the plant treated an average of 223,000 gallons a day. The amount was down 17,000 GPD from the previous year’s average. He stated the reduction was due to improvements made to keep storm water from entering the system.

Over the last month, selectmen have visited all of the town’s departments. They also plan to meet with the harbormaster at the waterfront. No date has been announced.