NOVEMBER 2025
The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC) began testing wastewater for respiratory illnesses at the Maine Health and Environmental Testing Laboratory (HETL) in July 2025. HETL tests wastewater samples from across the state for viruses like Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), and Influenza A and B. We’re proud to bring this work closer to home and continue supporting the health of our communities through local partnerships.
Wastewater treatment plants that take part in this program help protect public health. By testing sewage, we can find early signs of viruses and other health threats—sometimes before people even feel sick. This helps public health officials respond faster and keep communities safer.
Wastewater testing also helps track how illnesses spread in different areas, shows if health efforts are working, and helps guide decisions—without needing to test each person. While we are not currently onboarding new sites, we’re happy to hear from anyone who wants to join us in the future.
If you have questions about the Maine CDC’s wastewater surveillance or would like to learn more about wastewater surveillance utilization and benefits, please contact us at [email protected]. The Maine CDC appreciates your continued interest and support in advancing public health through wastewater surveillance monitoring.
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EPA’s SWIFT initiative works directly with drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater utilities, technical assistance providers, and other water sector stakeholders to increase system resilience to natural hazards and disasters.
What does SWIFT Do?
SWIFT provides location-specific natural hazard data and practical risk assessment tools to help identify and evaluate resilient strategies. With this technical assistance support, SWIFT helps promote a better understanding of natural hazard threats and their impacts on vulnerable assets, providing the guidance needed to make risk-informed infrastructure and investment decisions. SWIFT also offers approaches to infrastructure financing, making necessary connections that help utilities fund the implementation of their disaster resilience projects.
More details can be found here: Strengthening Water Infrastructure for Tomorrow (SWIFT) | US EPA.
DMR-QA Study 45 closed August 29th, 2025, and all results were due to the DMR-QA coordinator by October 24th, 2025.
Remember, if you received 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 did not complete and report your DMR-QA results by the deadline, or have questions about the program, please contact Brett Goodrich at 207-450-5590 or [email protected].
The National Rural Water Association (NRWA) is joining forces with the Cyber Policy Initiative (CPI) to offer a first-of-its-kind, completely free cyber volunteer taskforce to assist small and rural water & wastewater communities in protecting critical infrastructure. The initiative is named the Project Franklin, in honor of US founding father Benjamin Franklin.
American water and wastewater systems are being targeted by cyber-attacks by nation states. The EPA found that over 70% of surveyed utilities are not compliant with common cybersecurity standards despite increased risk of attacks, especially from China. Just this past year, Iranian- and Russian-backed hacktivist groups gained access to small utilities in Pennsylvania and Texas.
Franklin provides free, volunteer cyber assistance to water and wastewater utilities across the nation by matching cybersecurity experts with water/wastewater systems looking for cybersecurity help. The program aims to help utilities nationwide that are most vulnerable and least protected from cyber threats by providing no-cost assistance and establish an ongoing partnership to meet the community’s needs.
Franklin is currently providing assistance to water utilities in Utah, Vermont, Indiana and Oregon, and is interested in a starting a program here in Maine in conjunction with MRWA.
Please email aaron.gaylord@mainerwa or john.degour@nrwa if you are interested in hearing more about the Franklin network.
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There are a lot of exciting training opportunities and conferences coming up this fall/winter. Here are some highlights:
PFAS in Drinking Water: From Contamination to Compliance
RCAP Solutions is offering No-Cost, in-person training at three locations:
- Monday, Nov. 3 in Houlton
- Tuesday, Nov. 4 in Bangor
- Wednesday, Nov. 5 in Biddeford
The course is approved for 4 TCHs for Water and Wastewater Operators. Lunch is included.
This training provides a comprehensive overview of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and their impact on drinking water systems. Participants will learn about PFAS sources and release pathways, best practices for sampling and analysis, and current treatment technologies. The session will also cover key federal and state regulatory updates, available funding opportunities, and practical steps for moving from detection to compliance.
The course is designed for water/wastewater utility professionals, regulators, and environmental practitioners facing PFAS challenges in their communities.
To register, go to the RCAP training calendar, training calendar. Events for November 2025 – RCAP Solutions. For more information, please contact: Dave Tortora (207) 730-3261 [email protected].
MWUA Hands-on Cutting Tools Training
Join MWUA and Sthil for a hands-on cutting tools training. This class will provide water and wastewater operators with hands-on experience using several types of cutting tools. Some of the tools we will learn about are chain saws, cutoff saws, cut quick control, concrete cutters, augers, and drills. In addition, protective and wear gear will be discussed.
- November 4, 2025 in Gardiner
- November 5, 2025 in Houlton
- November 6, 2025 in Old Town
Click Here to register.
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 conference information can be found Here.
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.
NEWEA Annual Conference January 25-28, 2026 at Boston’s Mariotte Copley Place
NEWEA is known for bringing together the brightest minds and most innovative water quality solutions—leaders who make a real impact on daily life. Nowhere is this more evident than at the NEWEA Annual Conference, the premier event showcasing influential professionals and cutting-edge work in the water environment industry.
Attracting over 2,500 engineers, consultants, scientists, operators, and students, the conference features a wide range of technical sessions and more than 200 exhibitor displays. It offers a valuable forum for sharing ideas, exploring state-of-the-art concepts in wastewater treatment, and building lasting professional connections.
Visit https://www.newea.org/annual-conference/ for more information.
1. What may be the cause of septic odors in an activated sludge plant?
a. Aeration D.O. too high
b. Low H2S in the influent
c. WAS rate too high
d. Aeration D.O. too low
2. What is the most probable cause for slow settling MLSS?
a. High RAS rate
b. Filamentous growth
c. Low MLSS
d. Low sludge blanket
3. What may cause CBOD5 in the effluent to be unacceptable high?
a. Aeration rate too high
b. SRT too high
c. F/M ratio too low
d. Aeration rate too low
4. Express a flow of 5 cfs in gallons/minute (gpm).
a. 37.4 gpm
b. 120 gpm
c. 300 gpm
d. 2,244 gpm
5. The wastewater from an industry has a population equivalent for BOD of 3,200 people. How much BOD does that industry contribute? Use the conversion factor PE = 0.17 pounds of BOD per day.
a. 200 pounds
b. 544 pounds
c. 18,823 pounds
d. 17 pounds BOD
Answers
1.d. Septicity is usually the result of inadequate aerobic conditions and the onset of anaerobic decomposition and could results from too low aeration D.O.
2. b. Slow settling MLSS may be caused from an over-population of filamentous bacteria. Also, high MLSS concentrations, with or without filamentous bacteria, may cause the MLSS to settle slowly.
3. d. Under-aeration may cause CBOD5 to leave the aeration process and enter the clarifier effluent without being oxidized (consumed or converted).
Increasing the aeration rate usually resolves this problem.
4. d. 5 CFS X 7.48 gal/cf X 60 sec/min = 2,244 gpm.
5. b. 3,200 people X 0.17 pounds BOD/day/ person = 544 pounds of BOD per day.
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