OCTOBER 2025
When you are ready to renew your permit, you should be aware of changes to the application forms. Please remember to submit a complete application to DEP prior to the permit expiration date, otherwise your facility will be discharging without a license and could be subject to enforcement action.
Below is guidance to navigate changes to Maine DEP’s MEPDES/WDL application process.
Digital Submissions for Wastewater Applications
The Department is moving to digital submissions for wastewater applications via a designated DEP email site. We no longer require permittees to send two print copies to the Department. However, please send one copy with the wet signature page(s) of your application to Laura Crossley, Maine DEP, 17 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333. Please also submit your entire application as a single pdf to: [email protected].
Application Form Submission Updates
All permittees must complete Maine DEP Form DEPLW0105-B2003 General Application Form. The updated form can be found at this link: General Application. Be sure to include any additional forms specified on page 4 of the application.
POTWs must also submit EPA Form 2A for New and Existing Publicly Owned Treatment Works, which will temporarily replace the form MEDEP DEPLW0106. The application form can be found at: EPA Form 2A.
In addition, new or existing treatment works treating domestic sewage that discharge to waters of the state need to complete EPA’s Form 2S: NPDES Permitting Program: New and Existing Treatment Works Treating Domestic Sewage, Application Form 2S (epa.gov) which can be found at this link: Application Form 2S.
Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) must fill out EPA Form 1 – Application for NPDES Permit to Discharge Wastewater – General Information, Maine's General application and the MEDEP CAFO form found at these links:
Note: Always follow MEDEP’s instructions when filling out forms!
Signatory Policy Updates
MEDEP is updating our signatory policies to coincide with 40 CFR Part 122.22, as follows:
- All POTW applications must be signed by an elected Select Board Member, Town Manager or equivalent.
- All non-POTW applications must be signed by an owner, responsible corporate officer, or manager having the duty of making major capital investment recommendations and initiating and directing other comprehensive long-term environmental compliance measures.
More information on signatory requirements for different types of organizations can be found in 40 CFR 122.22 Signatories to permit applications and reports.
Maine DEP is happy to answer your questions about these changes to the application and submission process. Please contact the Licensing Coordinator, [email protected], 207-615-6711 to discuss further.
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DMR-QA Study 45 closed August 29th, 2025, at which time all results were due to the DMR-QA supplier. Results must be submitted to the DMR-QA coordinator by October 24th, 2025.
If you did not complete and report your DMR-QA results by August 29, 2025, contact Brett Goodrich at 207-450-5590 or [email protected].
Remember, if you receive a “Not-Acceptable” score for one or more parameters, you must complete a corrective action report and perform retests for all parameters with “Not Acceptable” results. A copy of the corrective action report and retest results must be sent to the State DMR-QA coordinator by December 5th, 2025.
If you have questions about the DMR-QA program, please contact Brett Goodrich at 207-450-5590 or [email protected].
There are a lot of exciting training and conferences coming up this fall! Click Here to see a calendar of events offered by not-for-profits. Don’t see your training listed? No problem. Click to download a Request for TCH approval form: Microsoft Word - TCH Request Form Rev 10.2024.docx.
Here are some highlights:
FREE Emergency Threat Assessment & Response for Wastewater Utilities - Berwick
MRWA is presenting an in-person Emergency Threat Assessment & Response training classes at the Berwick Sewer District on October 2 from 8:30 AM - 11:30 AM.
This class will help prepare facilities for a wide range of emergency situations. Topics include:
- How do you quickly assess the level of threat to your customers and infrastructure?
- What resources do you have to mitigate threats?
To register, go to: Emergency Threat Assessment & Response for Wastewater Utilities - Berwick - Maine Rural Water Association.
EPA to Offer FREE Cybersecurity Table Top Exercise for Maine Water & Wastewater Operators
Join DEP, EPA and Maine DWP on October 16 from 9 AM – noon for a virtual Table Top exercise (TTX). This 3-hour training is an interactive, scenario-driven discussion, allowing participants to learn cybersecurity best practices and prepare incident response. Maine public water and wastewater system owners, operators, and IT professionals are encouraged to attend. The webinar is FREE and offers 3 water/wastewater TCHs.
Go to: Registration Link to register.
MWUA to offer Leadership Training
MWUA is pleased to announce their new training: The Leadership Edge: People, Purpose & Performance at Husson University in Bangor on October 7, 21, November 4, 18, and December 2, 6. The course will be held every other Tuesday from 9 AM – 4 PM.
For more information, go to Registration or contact Cindy Wade at [email protected].
RCAP Presents Disaster Planning and Preparation Workshops at 3 Locations
Disaster Planning and Preparation provides systems of all sizes with an understanding of the importance of disaster planning and preparation for their water and wastewater systems. Topics include a description of what a disaster is, how it can affect systems, steps to prepare for potential disasters, and Risk and Resiliency Assessments and Emergency Response Plans.
The course offers 4 Water/Wastewater TCHs. There is no cost to attend. Lunch provided.
Basic Water Chemistry and Hands-on Chlorine Analyzers
Join MWUA and Tom’s Water Solutions for a hands-on training covering Basic Water Chemistry and Chlorine Analyzers for water and wastewater operators, presented in an easy-to-understand format. Offered on three dates at three locations:
- October 8 – Topsham
- October 15 - Ellsworth
- November 19 – Presque Isle
- November 21 – Farmington
Go to Registration to register.
Centrifugal Pump Hydraulics & Troubleshooting
JETCC will present Centrifugal Pump Hydraulics & Troubleshooting, taught by Eric Knudsen, Gorman Rupp Company in Bangor, Fairfield, and Biddeford on October 7, 8, and 9, respectively.
Michael Gerardi Hosts Virtual Training
Facultative Lagoons: Basic Biology and Chemistry will be taught virtually on October 21, from 12:15 to 3:15 PM. Go to Registration for more information.
Maine’s Management Candidate School – Beginning November 5 at Portland Water District
This 11-month training program is aimed at mid-level operators with management potential. Participants gain professional development through management courses, technical courses (such as engineering basics and construction planning), and skills training in areas of personnel management, communication, working with regulatory agencies, and budget preparation.
Classes begin November 5 at the Portland Water District. More information and registration is open at Maine’s Management Candidate School • NEIWPCC.
JETCC Hosts In-Person Collection System Class in Gardiner
A star-studded line-up will teach this hands-on class at the EJP facility in Gardiner. To register for Collection Systems Diagnosis & Maintenance Series: Cleaning and Jetting, go to Registration.
Save the Date for MRWA’s 45th Annual Conference & Trade Show
Mark your calendars for MRWA’s 45th Annual Conference & Trade Show. The event will be held on December 9 - 11, 2025 at 11:45 AM at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor.
More information can be found at; Event Registration - Maine Rural Water Association.
Grade 3-5 Exam Prep at 3 Locations
Back by popular demand, join Patrick Wiley for a 3-day class to help prepare for your Grade 3-5 wastewater exam. Held live in South Portland and remote in Bangor and Presque Isle on December 16-18, 2025.
Go to JETCC’s Training Calendar to register.
JETCC’s Wastewater Operator School (WOS) begins January 2026
This six-month, 12-session program is designed to give in-depth training to entry-level operators and others seeking to increase their understanding of biological wastewater treatment concepts. The program includes demonstrations, treatment plant tours, applied wastewater math, and practice questions to help understand concepts and prepare for certification exams. Instruction is led by industry professionals drawn from agencies and municipalities. All sessions are held in-person, many of them at the Portland Water District.
Registration will open soon. Click Here for more details.
1. A new industry is planning to locate in your town. They will be discharging process water to your treatment facility. You have received a sample of process water from another factory owned by the same company, which has the same pollutants in the same quantities as the water you will be receiving at your facility. You mix some of the sample with some of your present influent in a ratio comparable to what you expect to receive when the new factory comes on line. When you run an OUR test on this mixture, you note that the respiration rate decreases. This indicates:
a. The mixture is toxic to the mixed liquor.
b. The sample is over aerated.
c. The MLSS must be decreased to accept this waste.
d. The new waste may require additional aeration to stabilize.
2. Your discharge license requires you to store wastewater in your lagoon for 120 days in the winter. If you have an average influent flow of 183,500 gallons/day and a total pond area of 18 acres (784,000 sq.ft.), how much freeboard do you need in your 5-foot deep lagoon?
a. 1.68 ft.
b. 2.16 ft.
c. 3.38ft.
d. 3.75 ft.
3. The term “return sludge” usually refers to sludge from:
a. Primary Clarifiers
b. Secondary Clarifiers
c. Aerobic Digesters
d. Anaerobic Digesters
4. Which of the following is most resistant to disinfection?
a. Fecal Coliform
b. Salmonella
c. Protozoa
d. S. natans
5. Your unseeded dilution water samples in a BOD test show an oxygen depletion of more than 0.2 mg/L in five days. What is the most likely cause of the problem?
a. The initial D.O. was less than 9.0 mg/L
b. The buffers are contaminated.
c. Not enough seed is being used.
d. Toxic substances are present.
Answers
1. a. Decreased oxygen uptake indicates that the bugs are not digesting the new waste very well. In some cases, the bugs will acclimate and digest the waste. In other cases, the waste will ultimately kill all the bugs and the OUR will go to zero.
2. d. 183,500 gpd / 7.5 = 24,467 cu. ft./day. In 120 days, you need 2,936,000 cu.ft. of storage. 2,936,000 cu.ft. / 784,000 sq. ft. = 3.75 feet of freeboard needed.
3. b. Return sludge is the sludge recycled from the secondary clarifiers back to the aeration tanks to maintain an ‘activated’ sludge.
4. a. Fecal Coliform is used as an indicator organism because they tolerate chlorination better than pathogenic bacteria. While most fecal coliforms are not directly harmful, their presence indicates contamination by human or animal waste, and are a sign that other dangerous organisms may be in the water.
5. b. A depletion of greater than 0.2 mg/l in the blanks usually means that the buffers are contaminated with some organic material or the glassware is dirty.
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