Environmental Services

The Environmental Service Department (ESD)serves multiple functions for the Town of Oakland.   The main function of ESD is to provide oversight and maintenance for the sanitary sewer collection system, which includes publicly owned gravity sewer piping and manholes, pump stations, and force main piping.  ESD also samples groundwater at the Oakland Closed Landfill and CDD landfill sites, generates annual reports and submits the groundwater sampling results to the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.  ESDalso provides design review of stormwater and road design for developments for the Oakland Planning Board.   Finally, the ESD provides design services for projects developed by the town, such as publicly owned road reconstruction, sanitary sewer collection system replacement, storm water system replacement projects, as well as site and stormwater design and permitting for projects such as the Oakland Police and Fire Station facilities.

The Town of Oakland sanitary sewer system currently sends all wastewater flows to the Waterville Sewerage District (WSD)to two connections points, Kennedy Memorial Drive and Webb Road.  The town is a customer of WSD.  Oakland wastewater flows are delivered through the WSD system to the Kennebec Sanitary Treatment District for treatment.  

Customer owned vs. publicly owned sewer piping

The Town of Oakland public sewer system includes main line sewer pipes and manholes within roadways and some cross country sections.  Generally the public sewer piping runs longitudinally within the roadway.    Each customer owns and is responsible for maintenance and repair/replacement of their own sewer service pipes, which connect their structures/facilities to the main public sewer pipes in the street, including the connection to the public sewer pipe.  Any replacement, unclogging or repair of the customer sewer service pipes, including within the road pavement area, is the customer’s responsibility.

Sewer Projects

Like many towns in Maine, Oakland contends with high groundwater tables, which results in significant groundwater infiltration into old sewer pipes, both publicly and privately owned, including private sewer service connections.   Groundwater enters these pipes through cracks and pipe joints.  Another source of groundwater infiltration comes from sump pumps and house perimeter drains (neither of which are allowed under the Sewer Ordinance to be connected to the sewer system).   Each of these groundwater infiltration sources increases the volume of wastewater that is sent to WSD, thereby increasing costs for Oakland customers.   ESD has been working on publicly owned pipe and manhole repair and replacement for years.   Any elimination of groundwater infiltration results in a financial benefit to the customers of Oakland.  WSD charges Oakland for the volume of sewerage flow sent to them, therefore, there is a  financial incentive for the customers of Oakland to minimize the volume of groundwater entering the system.       

In 2023 – 2024, the Sewer Department undertook a major public sewer replacement project, reinvesting nearly $1.6 Million into the sewer system, replacing old clay pipes and sewer manholes that were sources of groundwater infiltration.   The following streets were included under this project:

• Railroad Avenue (approx. 660 feet of sewer pipe replaced, including manholes)
• Lower Oak Street (approx. 820 feet of sewer pipe replaced, including manholes)
• Oak Street section (approx. 860 feet of sewer pipe replaced, including manholes)
• Oak Street and Sawtelle Road manhole replacements (approx. 13 manholes replaced)
• South Alpine Street (1,340 feet of sewer pipe replaced, including manholes)

As a result of this work, Oakland has seen a significant reduction in wastewater flows sent to WSD, which will result in long-term savings for the customers.   ESD will continue to assess the sewer collection system, looking to repair/replace pipe segments that contribute groundwater infiltration volume into the system, as part of a long-term reinvestment strategy.   

Fats, Oils. Grease and Rags

One group of materials in wastewater that contributes to pre-mature component failure and maintenance issues is fats, oils, grease and flushable wipes that are disposed of into the waste stream.   These components often partially clog both publicly and privately owned sewer system piping.  They also clump around the impellers of pumps and plug valves, all of which increase maintenance and cleaning cost for the town, and therefore, increase costs for customers.  ESD requests that customers find other means of disposing of these products and also requests that customers that have grease traps have them pumped regularly, and provide annual documentation of the grease trap maintenance to the Superintendent (as required by the Sewer Ordinance).

System Evaluation

Annually, the Department uses acoustical equipment within the system to inspect each section of publicly owned piping.    The devices locate any blockages found within the system, which allows us to develop a targeted approach for the annual sewer pipe cleaning of the system.  The goal of this inspection is to eliminate backups into customers’ buildings (to the greatest extent possible), and to ensure that wastewater is flowing as designed through the system.      

New Customer Services

The Oakland Sewer Ordinance requires inspection by the Superintendent of any new service pipe connection to the publicly owned system, as well as any customer service pipe repair/replacement.    The Superintendent is required to inspect the connection of the customer service pipe to the public sewer pipe, as well as the service pipe installation to the facility being served.  The pipe and connection are required to be inspected before they are buried.    Customers or contractors proposing a new or replacement customer service pipe should contact the Superintendent prior to starting the project to coordinate inspection.

For billing questions, please contact the Town Office at (207) 465-7357 or CustomerService@OaklandME.gov 

For sewer related questions, please contact Boyd Snowden at (207) 465-7198 or BSnowden@OaklandME.gov