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New Septic System Restores Water Quality in Webster Brook
Waterbody Improved LOCated in,he "^'heastern-most corner of Maine's Aroostook
County, Webster Brook flows through a patchwork of cropland
and scattered rural development. Although several neighboring waters experience water quality
impacts associated with agricultural runoff, in Webster Brook the impacts from untreated residential
wastewater were the long-held concern. In 1996, the Maine Department of Environmental
Protection (DEP) placed Webster Brook on its Clean Water Act (CWA) section 303(d) list of impaired
waters for high Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria. In 2004, Maine DEP partnered with the town
of Limestone and a resident to replace a failing cesspool next to the stream with a new onsite
subsurface wastewater treatment and disposal system (septic system). This action reduced bacteria
levels in the stream. After DEP monitoring data confirmed that Class B water quality standards for
bacteria were met, DEP removed Webster Brook from its section 303(d) impaired waters list in 2010.
Problem
Webster Brook is a small Class B stream (as defined
under Maine's Water Classification Program) in
Limestone and Fort Fairfield, Maine, near the Canadian
border. The brook, which includesTrafton Lake (a
103-acre impoundment), flows easterly into Limestone
Stream and then into the Aroostook River in Canada.
The stream extends 4.9 miles and has a watershed
area of 6.5 square miles (Figure 1). The watershed is
mostly agricultural cropland, and the stream corridor
includes forested areas, wetlands and limited residen-
tial development. There is a small settlement with a
cluster of 12 homes downstream of Trafton Lake.
In 1996, Webster Brook (segment ME0101000413_
146R01) was included in Maine's 305(b) report
because past monitoring showed that E. coli bacteria
levels exceeded the Maine Class B geometric mean
water quality standard of 64 most probable number
per 100 milliliters (mpn/100 mL). E. coli bacteria are
used as indicators of the presence of pathogens in
water. Direct ingestion of water contaminated by
pathogens (e.g., bacteria, viruses) can cause gastroin-
testinal illness, skin, ear, respiratory, eye, neurologic,
and wound infections. The most commonly reported
symptoms are stomach cramps, diarrhea, nausea,
vomiting, and low-grade fever. Humans are exposed
to waterborne pathogens during contact with and
ingestion of recreational waters, ingestion of drinking
water, and consumption of filter-feeding shellfish
such as clams and mussels.
Webster Brook Watershed
Limestone
Fort Fairfield
0 5
Miles
Figure 1. The Webster Brook watershed.
Waterborne pathogens enter surface waters from a
variety of sources, including human sewage and the
feces of warm-blooded wildlife, in Webster Brook,

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H Failed Septicjj
System Replaced
DEP Sampling Station
Figure 2. The failed septic system was directly
upstream of a DEP sampling station.
the excessive bacteria counts were primarily due to
malfunctioning residential wastewater system(s).
Story Highlights
In 2004, a landowner living next to Webster Brook
approached the town of Limestone and Maine DEP
about their cesspool system, originally installed in the
1940s, which had failed and was flowing untreated to
the stream. Cesspools built before 1974 are allowed in
Maine for wastewater disposal.
The landowner replaced the cesspool with a new sep-
tic tank and wastewater disposal system with concrete
chambers. Maine DEP provided technical assistance
and a $10,000 grant to the town of Limestone through
its Small Community Grant (SCG) program. The SCG
program provides grants to towns to help individu-
als replace malfunctioning septic systems that are
polluting a waterbody or causing a public nuisance. An
actual pollution problem, such as the one identified
in Webster Brook, must be documented to qualify for
SCG funding.
Results
In 2007, as part of the DEP's 2009 Maine Statewide
Bacteria TMDL (Total Maximum Daily Load), nine
water samples were collected in Webster Brook just
downstream of the location of the septic system
replacement (Figure 2). Analysis showed that the E. coli
Figure 3. Webster Brook, seen here in 2018, now
meets water quality standards.
geometric mean for Webster Brook was 61.8 mpn/100
mL, below the Class B geometric mean standard of
64 mpn/100 mi_. Also, seven of the nine samples were
weli below the instantaneous (single sample) standard
of 236 mpn/100 mL. As a result, Maine DEP removed
Webster Brook from its CWA section 303(d) list in 2010
because it attained bacteria standards (Figure 3).
Partners and Funding
The town of Limestone and a landowner part-
nered with Maine DEP's Division of Water Quality
Management and Division of Environmental
Assessment to identify the problem, oversee system
replacement and conduct water quality monitor-
ing. Maine DEP provided technical assistance and a
$10,000 grant through its SCG program to fund the
new septic system. The SCG program is funded by
state of Maine voter-approved bonds and serves as a
source of nonfederal match to the funding Maine DEP
receives through EPA's CWA section 319 program.
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©
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Water
Washington, DC
EPA 841-F-19-Q01D
January 2019
For additional information contact:
Sean Bernard
Maine DEP
207-760-3135 • Sean.L.Bernard@maine.gov
Wendy Garland
Maine DEP
207-615-2451 • Wendy.Gariand@maine.gov

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