Saco Water Resource Recovery Project

We have three primary threats - tidal influences from the Saco River; stormwater melt from the adjacent hill; wet weather impacts that cause hydraulic backups where the treated water can't properly leave to the Saco River. These threats are exacerbated by low-lying elevations, increasing and intensifying storms, aging infrastructure, and a growing community. In 2019, we experienced significant flooding which you can see in  this video .

The  Maine Climate Council's Cost of Doing Nothing Analysis  estimated Saco's facility could be subject to $43 million+ if nothing is done.

This cost does not consider damages to the economy, environment, or community if the facility is unable to properly treat the incoming wastewater.

 Saco ,  Maine Water ,  University of Southern Maine ,  NOAA , and  New England Environmental Finance Center  are currently assessing economic impacts to our wastewater and drinking water facilities. When this data is available, we will share it.

In 2020, Saco's Mayor and City Council formed the Coastal Resiliency Committee, which partnered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to integrate Community Priorities into project goals and conceptual project design. Using the EPA's Augmented Alternative Analysis (AAA) process, a set of Community Priorities was created, which served as the foundational goals for the Water Resource Recovery Project.

This AAA planning process uses these ten steps to build a final project matrix. These ten steps help communities make sustainable decisions that balance the social, economic, and environmental aspects of projects.

Using the AAA process, each of these Community Priorities was used to create project goals, criteria, and metrics which were used to rank three wastewater treatment plant conceptual designs. This is just one example of a Community Priority used as a goal, detailed to the metric level.

Thank you to the Committee for its work on this important project that ultimately led to a conceptual design that incorporates the community's needs and expectations. Thank you also to the EPA team for selecting Saco as one out of four communities to participate in a forthcoming case study about this work.

This concept plan scored the highest benefit-cost ratio and includes:

-Aqua NEREDA innovative technology

-Increases treatment capacity to meet anticipated regulatory requirements and future growth needs

-Raises site and Front Street to be resilient to sea level rise

-Relocates, removes, or builds new at higher elevations

-Reclaims open space and provides for a safer overall site layout

-Provides enhanced public amenities for Riverwalk Trail

On November 2, 2021, Saco will see a  $50 million bond question . The purpose of this question is to ask voters to consider fully upgrading Saco's Water Resource Recovery Facility. You can review the sample ballot for your ward by visiting the City Clerk's Sample Ballot page:

Municipalities use bonding to pay for long-term capital projects that will have multi-generational benefits. This ensures that all who benefit from an investment pay for that investment over a defined period of time. Saco's long-term capital improvement policies encourage borrowing for sustainable projects with multi-generational benefits. The good news is that wastewater treatment plants can have very long lives - 50+ years!

Senator King and Senator Collins each placed the first phase of this project on their lists for Congressionally Directed Spending requests. Although there is not yet any guarantee of this funding, it was an honor to be chosen.

There are multiple factors to review when considering how to accommodate growth and future community needs for wastewater treatment plants. This is just one data analysis that reviews anticipated increase in sewer user accounts. We also looked at wastewater loadings, city zoning, historical and future anticipated growth patterns, and State Economist data on projected population growth.

This chart shows the number of sewer accounts, not the number of people actually using the system. Currently, we serve more than 12,000 residents and have more than 375 commercial accounts (includes schools, utilities, etc.). Sewer services support an estimated 7,500 Saco jobs.

Sewer services are not only vital to public and environmental health, sewer service also offers foundational support for business growth. Economic development in designated growth areas, such as along Route One in the Opportunity Zone, can help diversify the local economy, reducing overall tax impacts on our residents.

The City Council reviewed how Saco's long-term debt per capita compares to other Maine communities. Saco has one of the lowest long-term debt obligations in the area. This is good news as Saco considers this project and other future projects for which funds may be needed. The City's auditors and the WRRD reported this information based on Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports.

Another consideration is Saco's ability to take on more debt. The State of Maine sets legal debt limits for municipal borrowing. Saco's debt margin as of June 30, 2020 is more than $375 million which means Saco has the ability to fund this project and other future projects.

If Saco were to add $50 million to its long term debt obligations, Saco would have an estimated remaining debt margin of more than $325 million to be able to fund other upcoming projects.

Take a look at Saco's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report to learn more about our existing debt:

Maine's Clean Water Survey estimates that more than $1 billion is needed for sewer and stormwater infrastructure to 2030.

Much of Maine's infrastructure was built around the same time and is now experiencing impacts of age and climate issues.

Other New England communities not included in this graph have also made recent, significant infrastructure investments for growth and nutrient removal.