PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Presque Isle planning board unanimously approved the site plan on Thursday, June 15, at City Hall for the Echo Lake septic system.
Galen Weibley, director of economic and community development for Presque Isle, presented the site plan review for the septic tank effluent pumping station, located at the southern portion of Echo Lake Road.
Presque Isle was one of the first municipalities that received congressionally directed spending of more than $550,000. It also received $300,000 from the County Commissioners. Presque Isle agreed to match 50 percent of the federal government funds and 25 percent of the county funds, Weibley said.
The project was estimated at $960,000 for the new septic system at no additional cost to the homeowners of Echo Lake Road.
“This project does call for a complete restructuring of that road, and we will be putting black top down per the city engineer’s requirements,” Weibley said.
Presque Isle has owned the Echo Lake Road septic system, but once the project is finished, the city will only own the two-inch force mains, the centralized pumping station and the leach field.
Homeowners will own their septic tanks and be responsible for replacing the pump for the individual septic tank in a signed agreement between the landowners and the city, Weibley said. The user fee will be based on the operational costs of the septic system.
Homeowners will also be responsible for the power that goes into the pump for the septic system with an alarm that will go off if there are issues with the pump.
Around 13 homes, or camps, will be getting new septic tanks with each one having two-inch force mains across the street of each property. Individual submersible pumps will pump water through the force main to the centralized pumping station. A six-inch diameter will go up to the leach field with the pipes submerged at around 7.5 feet.
“This has been a bane of the existence for two of my predecessors,” Weibley said.
The Echo Lake septic system was originally improperly installed in the 1980s and the city had issues with the system ever since. The old septic system ran parallel to the road, but will cross underneath the road with the new septic system.
The leach field will be reconstructed so it doesn’t take on too much water from pumping, and it has a 30-year life expectancy, according to Sienna Roberge, civil engineer for Haley Ward, Inc.
Environmental review will be done by Haley Ward Inc. located in Presque Isle. The septic system will still be a Department of Environmental Protection licensed system due to the close proximity of Aroostook State Park.
Estimated construction will be by the end of 2023. Echo Lake Road will remain private with snow removal done by the city.
