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Maine’s coastal infrastructure is facing unprecedented danger from rising sea levels, the top environmental leader in President Joe Biden’s administration said in a visit to Saco on Monday.
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan’s visit to the York County city’s wastewater treatment plant came as it faces significant risks of flooding from the effects of climate change.
The current facility isn’t equipped to deal with the rising sea levels coming in from the nearby Saco River, especially in heavy rain or snow events. Howard Carter, the director at the wastewater facility, said that the facility could be subject to flooding if it is too full. It could even cause the closure of nearby beaches.
The $1.2 trillion federal infrastructure bill, passed late last year, includes nearly $70 million going directly to Maine communities in 2022. More will follow in the years. A portion of the money will be used to build a new wastewater treatment plant in Saco.
Regan’s visit to Saco highlights the ramifications of modernizing the city’s infrastructure, as well as that of other communities in coastal Maine, amid the debilitating effect of climate change. More than two-thirds (63%) of voters voted for a referendum for the city to borrow $50 million in bonds to upgrade the facility back in November.
Saco is home to more than 12,000 people and nearly 400 businesses. Yet, many people don’t know where their local wastewater facility is until something goes wrong, said Carter, who also said the facilities are often called “buried assets” within their communities.
As sea levels rise, the federal government and the state offer assistance. Already, the locals have seen what it could look like. A combination of significant rain, melting snow, and high tide created a unique environment in December 2019. Water overflowing at the plant.
“It’s quite easy to imagine a recipe for financial and environmental disaster,” Carter said.
Regan was hosted by Chellie Pingree (U.S. Rep.), and toured the facility first, asking Carter many questions along the way.
He pointed out that many New England communities have an infrastructure that is more than 100-years old. He said that the federal funds would allow communities like Saco and others to be “resilient to the impacts of climate change.”
“The risk of raw sewage overflowing in the Saco River is a threat to the community,” Regan said.
Climate change will increase the risks of climate change, which will be exacerbated by the new greenhouse gas emissions that are making the planet hotter. Regan said the administration was prioritizing lowering those as well, but that it was possible to fight off the worst effects of climate change in the meantime.
“His eyes are also focused on resiliency,” Regan said of Biden. “And what we need to do to live with some of the things that we are currently seeing now.”
Saco’s mayor and city manager attended the event, as did several members of the state legislature, including Maine House Speaker Ryan Fecteau, D-Biddeford.
Fecteau said the climate crisis could put Maine’s entire economy at risk, from impacting its beaches to potential loss of the numerous services provided by Saco’s plant as well as other wastewater treatment facilities across Maine.
“We have a once in a lifetime opportunity to take our future into our own hands,” Fecteau said.
