North Windham Wastewater Treatment Plant launches operations

By Ed Pierce

It’s been four years since Windham voters first approved creating the North Windham Wastewater Treatment project to the new plant becoming fully operational, but late last month that milestone event took place.

The new North Windham Wastewater Treatment Plant is now
fully operational on the grounds of Manchester School in
Windham. It is designed to remove 25,000 pounds of
nitrogen and phosphorus pollutants each year being
dumped by septic systems into the aquifer and watershed.
COURTESY PHOTO  

Windham Town Engineer Mark Arienti has informed members of the Windham Town Council and the Windham Town Manager that the wastewater treatment facility, located on the Manchester School grounds, is now up and running.

Plans were approved by Windham voters in a special referendum in June 2022 that included construction of a public wastewater system, and it will result in the removal of about 100 septic systems that were discharging into the North Windham aquifer. Because of the lack of an effective sewer system in North Windham, over the years contaminants have continued to pollute the aquifer, threatening surrounding ponds and lakes, and stifling economic growth.

In addition, for the past two decades increasing nitrate levels have been observed in the underlying aquifer that threatened local water resources including Sebago Lake. Current levels of nitrates in the groundwater have exceeded drinking water standards. Septic system pollution entering the aquifer directly impacts surrounding valuable water resources, and this new wastewater treatment plant addresses the issue before the problem escalated and became irreversible.

The wastewater treatment plant is expected to remove 25,000 pounds of nitrogen and phosphorus pollutants each year being dumped by septic systems into the aquifer and watershed. The installation of sewers is expected to stimulate significant economic growth in Windham and lead to development in the area by industries and businesses not willing to locate here because of associated septic system issues and costs.

Through an agreement reached between RSU 14 and the Town of Windham, in exchange for locating the new wastewater treatment site at Manchester School, the town has created four new playing fields for youth sports at the school. RSU 14 will also be able to shift its wastewater treatment operations at Windham High School to the new facility.

The new plant uses Membrane Bio-Reactor technology with innovative drip dispersal and will be the first system to use drip dispersal of this scale in Maine. This technology is designed to improve the quality of local groundwater and local waterways, and was chosen for its reliability, flexibility, and overall cost effectiveness for operation.

The contractor building the plant installed influent screens and bubble diffuser equipment for the biological nutrient removal (BNR) and sludge tanks. MBR, BNR and sludge blowers were completed in December and the installation of the membranes that will be used to remove the suspended solids was completed in February. Construction crews also built a control shed for the Manchester Drive pump station with a wet well, valve vault and pumps all having been installed, as well as concrete pads for the shed.

Last December, the sewer rate for the new North Windham Sewer District was established by the Windham Town Council at $16 per 100 cubic feet.

Earlier this year, Windham Town Manager Robert Burns said that because the entire sewer system and wastewater treatment plant will operate at first far below capacity, Windham will use TIF funds to buy down the sewer rate, preventing early users, mostly businesses initially, from bearing the full operational cost. He said Windham expects to raise $1.3 million with a TIF subsidy during the first year of operation for the wastewater treatment plant and sewer system.

The cost of the project was $48 million for the new wastewater treatment plant, new sewer lines and connections to individual properties and businesses around Boody’s Corner as well as to some multi-family residential buildings and a few single-family homes in the area. The new Windham Raymond Middle School will connect to the treatment plant when the school opens.

A Clean Water State Revolving Fund subsidized loan, including $3.25 million in grant capacity will be used to pay for the project, according to Portland Water District Engineering & Asset Management Services. The project also received several million dollars in grants from Environmental Prevention Agency Congressional-directed spending, as well as from Cumberland County and town American Rescue Plan Act funding. 

According to Burns, residential property taxes will not be used to pay back the loan. Instead, he said, it will be paid back using Tax Increment Finance District funds.

Now that the wastewater plant is fully operational, the town has sent out information packages to businesses within the collection system corridor including sewer connection applications, access agreements to allow installation of piping and pumps on the properties, and guidance on what can and can’t be discharged to the sewer

Windham Economic Development Company Executive Director Tom Bartell said the new wastewater treatment plant in North Windham will benefit the town substantially.

“This investment is a foundational step in supporting increased residential and commercial density, improving environmental compliance, and enabling future development in the Route 302 corridor, which will strengthen the tax base and expand options for residents and businesses,” he said.

The plant began operations on Aug. 19.

Businesses that are discharging to the collection system right now include Shaws Plaza (Shaws, Staples, CVS, Town Fair Tire, and Pet Warehouse), Reny’s, Portland Pie, Hannaford, Windham Mall and Manchester School.

All of the businesses currently using the new system, except Manchester School, are discharging to the gravity collection lines that flow to the Portland Water District pumping station at corner of Manchester Drive and Route 35, which pumps it over to the treatment plant.

Manchester School discharges directly to the 15-inch sewer line that flows to the plant.

During the rest of this fall, the Town of Windham will be working to add more North Windham businesses to the sewer and wastewater treatment system. <

Bridge replacement work starts in Windham

By Ed Pierce

After a lengthy delay, a 26-foot steel girder bridge on William Knight Road over the Pleasant River is being replaced.

Bridge replacement work has started on Varney's Bridge
on William Knight Road in Windham. The $2.2 million
project will create a new new bridge with $1.5 million
in funding from MaineDOT and the remainder on a 
bond authorized by Windham voters in 2023. The bridge
is expected to be completed by Oct. 12.
PHOTO BY  MELISSA CARTER 

While making repairs on Varney’s Bridge in 2015, engineers from the Maine Department of Transportation recommended that the town explore options for closing or replacing the bridge because of ongoing structural deterioration.

Size, complexity and increasing age were key factors in making the decision to replace the steel girder bridge. MaineDOT engineers reported that capacity issues and faster and heavier loads stressed this type of bridge past its original design parameters. Typically, steel girder bridges can be more expensive than other types of bridges because of the rising cost of materials and for construction and this type of bridge may not be suitable for very heavy loads and may not be able to support the weight of heavy vehicles.

Windham Town Engineer Mark Arienti said MaineDOT engineers found issues with the bridge’s concrete abutments and reduced the allowable load to three tons. That made it not possible for construction trucks, dump trucks, garbage trucks, and other large vehicles to cross the bridge because of the weight limitation.

“For example, when the town plows, it has to stop at the bridge, turn around, and then go the other way,” Arienti said.

Right now, there are concrete abutments that support the current bridge, which is a steel structure and scouring from the river has caused erosion where the concrete makes contact with the water. There has also been rusting on the steel supports which need to be replaced. The bridge has lasted quite a long time, but Arienti said it has aged because of erosion and corrosion of the concrete foundation and abutments and needed to be replaced.

Because Varney’s Bridge had been upgraded and repaired numerous times over the past three decades and its structural issues persisted and continued to worsen, members of the Windham Town Council in 2021 determined that replacing the existing bridge to be the most cost-effective method to ensure the safety of the community upon the recommendation of the town manager.

In June 2021, Windham residents approved spending $25,000 for a study at the Annual Town Meeting about how to best move forward to replace the aging structure. That study was completed in the summer of 2022, and the results were forwarded to the MaineDOT.

Using the MDOT Bridge Program Design Guide, a preliminary design report was created, and mandated that any other survey work needed to define right-of-way and bridge layout and alignment be performed and any geotechnical engineering evaluations required to design a new bridge support structure be initiated.

When the new MDOT Three-Year Plan for upcoming projects to be undertaken by the state was released in January 2023, some $1.5 million in funding from the MaineDOT was authorized for a $2.2 million project with the town picking up the remaining $700,000 for the project.

Under the direction of Arienti, Windham then developed preliminary and final design plans in accordance with standards in the latest editions of MaineDOT’s Bridge Design Guide and followed Standard Specifications and Standard Details requirements. Those design plans included a specific plan for the project, a bridge profile including cross-sections, and geometry for approach design.

The plan also featured design computations, load ratings, and evaluation information for the new structure meeting MaineDOT specifications. That included development of an engineering estimate of construction costs and creating a final plan for review by the state.

During Windham’s Annual Town Meeting on June 17, 2023, a warrant item was approved by voters to contribute $700,000 to complete the bridge replacement project. 

A public meeting was subsequently held to obtain community feedback about the project, and the town set about coordinating the project with utilities in the area. That was followed by MaineDOT and the town preparing a set of Design Plan Impacts listing all design features, topographical details and impacts associated with the project.

MaineDOT also conducted and documented quality control design checks and provided engineering support during the competitive bidding process and any other additional services as was requested by the town.

Windham Town Councilors put the project out to bidding in November 2025 and awarded the project to Wyman & Simpson, Inc. for the town’s portion of costs in general obligation bond funding for replacing Varney’s Bridge. Seven bids were submitted to replace the bridge, which was originally built in 1950.

Work started on the existing bridge demolition and replacement on June 15 and could take up to 120 days to complete.

The reconstruction work requires a full road closure on William Knight Road and local detours have been put in place for traffic and emergency vehicles for the duration of the bridge replacement. The project is expected to be completed by Oct. 13, 2026. <