Route 1 Sewer and Water Project

Route 1 Sewer Extension Project Questions or concerns contact Megan Brackett at mbrackett@rockportmaine.gov
  1. Tax Maps 6, 10 & 14 showing the specific properties included in the project area.  Properties with a yellow highlights are assumed to connect when the project is complete while properties with a blue highlight are assumed to be a potential future connection.  We needed to make this distinction for the purpose of estimating flows generated by the project.
  2. Maps of the existing Village sewer collection system and Glen Cove sewer collection system.  Understanding the boundaries of the existing system is important to understand that the project will fill the gap between the two currently separate collection system areas.
  3. An image of the project area on a Google Earth background.

The purpose of this Project is to extend public water and sewer to the southern section of Route 1 (Commercial Street) in Rockport between Sea Light Lane and South Street. This section of proposed sewer will connect the Town’s existing Village area and Glen Cove area wastewater collection systems.  The Project will include the installation of approximately 1.5 miles of new gravity sewer, 1.5 miles of sewer force main, two submersible pump stations, and service connections to each currently developed property in the service area. All sewer flows from the Project are anticipated to be collected and pumped south to Rockland’s collection system as part of the Town’s interlocal sewer agreement with that community. An additional objective of this Project is to provide the Town with the ability to reverse flow directions and send the wastewater flows from the proposed Project area north to Camden if favorable conditions exist for the Town and its wastewater customers.  The Project will also include the extension of water main along the same section of Route One. 1.2 miles of 16” water main will be installed on the opposite side of road as the sewer extension.  The design and construction costs for the water main are being funded by the Maine Water Company (MWC).

Both sewer and water Work were included within the same Contract that was placed out to bid with General Contractors in January 2021.  Bids were opened in February 2021 and the low bid Contractor was Nitram Excavation of Benton, Maine with a Total Bid of $5,846,748.  The Bid from Nitram Excavation breaks down between water and sewer as follows:

1.           $1,361,320 for the water portion (to be funded by Maine Water Company); and

2.           $4,485,428 for the sewer portion of the Work (to be funded by the Town of Rockport).

The Town has secured Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) funding for sewer infrastructure construction totaling $4,300,800 (bond authorization totaling $4,500,000 approved by Rockport voters in June 2019). Additional sewer funding sources include a $200,000 grant from the Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC) and approximately $500,000 in the balance from the Route 1 Tax Increment Financing (TIF). The total available funding for the sewer portion of the Work totals approximately $5,000,800 to $5,200,000, depending on whether the CWSRF loan amount needs to be exceeded up to the Town’s approved bonding authorization.

Construction is anticipated to commence in May 2021 and be complete in the spring of 2022.  Two-way traffic through the project area must be maintained between Memorial Day and Labor Day, otherwise the Contractor will be required to shut down the work until the summer traffic on Route One subsides.  The Design Engineer for the project and the Owner’s Representative during construction is Woodard & Curran, Inc. of Bangor, Maine.