LISBON — A recent engineering report shows the Lisbon Water Department’s overall water plant is in good shape, however frequent water main breaks, hard-water issues and recent boil and do-not-drink orders have made some customers concerned about the water quality.

Some have taken to Facebook to air their concerns, while others have stopped consuming the water, opting to buy bottled water for drinking and cooking instead.

The plant was brought online in 2006, interim General Manager Shellie Reynolds said. Staff at the department, which is considered a large water system by state standards, is in the process of looking into upgrades at three of its well sources and looking for new sources that have better water quality.

The department is only drawing water from one large water source and that is concerning because there should be a backup source in case something happens to that primary well or the water in it, according to the engineering report by Daniel Flaig of Wright-Pierce.

The department has another large water source in its system but that well has been inactive due to elevated arsenic levels found in water tests there last year. The report recommended that the department develop a treatment plan for that well so it has a backup water source.

Customer reports of dirty or smelly water, part malfunctions at the plant, piping issues, along with recent reports due to the state and federal governments has all placed stress on the department while it is understaffed.

Staffing and training

Earlier this year, former General Manager Chuck Harrison left the department and Reynolds was appointed as interim. As of early December the department was still looking for a new general manager.

Staffing has been an ongoing issue for the department in the past year. Now there are two water operators but for most of the year there was only one.

The department prefers to have four operators but Reynolds considers the department fully staffed with two operators, she said.

The recent engineering report also highlighted the need for more staff training on plant operations after alerts signaling a part had malfunctioned were not responded to for months ahead of a sludge intrusion that led to an August do-not-drink order. It was determined staff did not know why those alerts were going off.

The department has already begun to implement trainings, Reynolds said. Those include full staff meetings weekly to give and get feedback.

“We have attended some trainings and had our on-site consultant with staff daily to help address issues,” she said.

Hard water buildup

Flaig, the engineer who worked on that recent report, said Lisbon’s water is harder than usual. Hard water is caused by a high rate of minerals, such as calcium and magnesium. It tends to result in a mineral buildup on pipes and other infrastructure.

In August 2023, the department added orthophosphate and polyphosphate into the water system to coat pipes and protect them against hard-water buildup. Some people complained of smelly water because some of the hard-water buildup came through people’s taps – though still safe to drink.

Since it has added those substances, the department has received fewer complaints of calcium buildup, Reynolds said. However some customers are still reporting smelly water.

Hard-water buildup is thought to have been what caused a part to malfunction and eventually lead to the department issuing a do-not-drink order that was in place for more than 24 hours on Aug. 29. The engineering study found that a check valve did not close all the way, allowing sludge to get into the water system and cause dirty water.

Because it was unclear how much arsenic was being released into the water system due to the intrusion, the do-not-drink order was put in place. Expedited water testing results found there was no elevated arsenic levels in the water system after that intrusion was plugged up.

Though the water plant seems to be in good condition, as reported by Flaig, hard water seems to remain an issue for otherwise functional parts. The department is in the process of upgrading the check valve so it can start reclaiming backwash water again.

That upgrade needs to be approved by the Maine Drinking Water Program before they can begin, Reynolds said. Parts susceptible to hard-water buildup will be added to the list of preventative maintenance work.

Water main breaks

The Water Department has reported frequent water main breaks on its Facebook page, some leading to boil water orders. Though there have been fewer water main breaks this fall, Reynolds said, there have been several breaks reported in the last couple of years.

For more than a century, the Lisbon Water Department has served the town and some of its infrastructure is very old and has yet to be replaced, Reynolds said. Some areas are over 100 years old. Though there are system capital improvement plans, mandatory requirements from the government around PFAS contamination and lead service lines complicate those plans.

“Those will need funds to stay in compliance, which impacts the capital improvements,” she said. “It’s a constantly changing target that we have adjust to.”

Lead and galvanized pipes

The water department recently completed its Lead Service Line Inventory in October, as federally mandated. It is a comprehensive look at the materials of all service lines in the department’s system, whether owned by the department or by a customer. The report was to identify any possible lead or galvanized service lines.

Though the vast majority of lines identified as lead or galvanized were private lines, the department did identify one department lead line and four galvanized lines. Construction to replace those lines must begin by 2027, Reynolds said, but she did not give a specific timeline for its start.