HOULTON, Maine — After nearly six years of undrinkable chemically contaminated water flowing through their pipes at the Houlton Mobile Home Park, residents will soon get relief, according to the park’s owner.
Once the final piece of financing is approved that is.
State testing showed unsafe levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, in the well water almost as soon as Tony Brettkelly purchased the mobile home park off the Old Woodstock Road in Houlton about six years ago, he said.
Park management has been supplying residents with bottled water ever since, although the contaminated water is used for laundry, showers and cleaning, according to resident Phil Pierce.
The park’s current sewer system flows into the Houlton Water Co. system, but because of its age — perhaps 70 years old — it’s failing, and the water containing PFAS is getting into the wastewater, according to Houlton Water Co. General Manager Greg Sherman. The town has to take additional steps to process the wastewater.
The park project funding includes a new sewer system that will be installed after the water is fixed.
The imminent repairs of the water and sewage systems will finally bring the mobile home park in compliance with state and local regulations, and make the water safe for people to drink.
“We are in the final stretch. It has taken years to get this done,” Brettkelly said. “I am pleased we have finally gotten to this point. It has taken so much work from so many people to make this happen.”
After the initial testing showed contamination, more state testing in 2022 reported PFAS levels at 183.4 parts per million; 20 parts per million or below are considered safe, according to the Maine Department of Health and Human Services guidelines.
A recent U.S. Geological Survey study found that more than half of the water taps in the nation have unsafe levels of PFAS or forever chemicals in the drinking water. And the Houlton Mobile Home Park water issues are not uncommon in The County.
Since state mandatory testing of public water systems for PFAS began last year, several County schools tested with unsafe levels of PFAS and lead in their water, including Hodgdon Middle High School and Mill Pond Elementary School, where students have been drinking bottled water since last November. An extensive carbon treatment system is being installed at the two schools, with completion slated for late fall.
The County’s water contamination problems are largely due to municipal sewage sludge spread onto farm fields. In 2019, after rural residents contacted the Maine Environmental Protection Agency with concerns about the sludge safety, testing revealed unsafe levels of forever chemicals in the sludge fields. Later that year, the EPA stopped all sludge spreading in the state.
Pierce, originally from Vermont, has lived at the mobile home park for three years, and in addition to his other work in road traffic control, he helps with repairs and maintenance at the mobile home park, he said.
“It’s never really been a problem for me. Because of my job and working outside, I always drink spring water,” he said.
Even so, Pierce is excited to see that the Houlton Water Co. lines are already up to the hydrants near his home, he said
“I think it is very good they are doing it,” Pierce said. “It will make a huge difference for people.”
Eliminating the chemicals is difficult and costly.
Without the coordinated and sustained efforts of the town, the Houlton Water Co. and the Maine Drinking Water Program, this more than $1.6 million fix would not have been possible, owner Brettkelly said.
It took several state and federal grants, Brettkelly’s own financial contributions and a pending Maine Municipal Bond Bank loan to bring the Houlton Mobile Home Park to this level. If all funding approvals go through, the 80 or so people living at the park may soon be able to turn on their taps and get clean water.
Brettkelly’s matching funds, as required by the state Drinking Water Program, are close to $500,000. He said he sold a property along with applying for a Maine Municipal Bond Bank loan to help with his portion of the funding. He expects to hear about the state bank loan next week.
Other funding for the project which, also includes a new sewer system, came from a $614,137 Community Development Block Grant, according to Houlton Director of Economic Development Nancy Ketch.
Because of escalating costs, Ketch also applied for $300,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds from Aroostook County that were recently approved.
The Houlton Water Co., with grant funding from the Maine Drinking Water Program, just completed their end of the drinking water project by bringing a 12-inch water main to the edge of the mobile home park, said Greg Sherman, Houlton Water Co. general manager.
“We’ve done all we can do at this point,” Sherman said.
Now, Brettkelly, also with the help of the Maine Drinking Water Program, is responsible for completing the water distribution system within the park that will hook into the Houlton Water Co. main line, Sherman said.
Brettkelly lives in San Francisco, but spends a lot of time in The County, he said. His two daughters live in Portland and they often went on adventures in Aroostook County. He loved the County so much, he said that if he ever had an investment opportunity there, he would take it.
When the Houlton Mobile Home Park came on the market, he purchased it because of its beautiful setting, unaware of the water issue, he said.
And while he could have sold the 19-acre property, he stuck with it through the water and sewer problems. At the same time, Brettkelly and his team started the hard work of turning the mobile home park around to make it a safe and family-oriented place to live.
Initially riddled with drug and crime issues, the police were at the park nearly every day, he said.
But along with the help of his resident manager, Paula Russell and her husband Jarret Russell, it has slowly transitioned into a family park, Brettkelly said.
“I’m really excited. The whole team has put their heart and soul into trying to turn this around, and with this new infrastructure in place, it will be like a brand new park,” he said.
