Rangeley sewer staff report pump-timer failure, consider $45,000 flow-backup retrofit

Rangeley Sewer Commission staff told commissioners that several pump stations operate on a timer that runs both pumps for a fixed 10-minute interval when a high-water float activates, and that the system lacks a dedicated flow-backup feature.

A staff member described the problem during the meeting: “We just found out that we don't actually have a flow backup system in our pump stations. We just have high water flows. And when the high water flow is hit, both pumps come on and run for a set of 10 minutes. So they're reengineering that aspect of us. So there may be another thing coming up by by doing a flow backup.”

The staff member said a timer failure led to the pumps running for about two-and-a-half hours during a recent incident: “When I got in there, the timer had failed, and the pumps ran for 2 and a half hours of water the other night.” The staff member estimated that adding the flow-backup system would “probably be another $45,000.”

The same staff report included routine operations updates: crews have started construction on a 20-by-12-foot post-and-beam addition at Chick Hill to store a generator; the project has a building permit and work on the walls has begun.

Commissioners asked whether the repairs were costing the commission more money; staff replied that current troubleshooting is “all part of the computer program” and that the $45,000 estimate would be in addition to ongoing maintenance. The meeting record does not show a formal motion to approve the retrofit or a funding source; staff indicated that vendor calls and a punch list are ongoing.

No timetable or funding plan for the flow-backup retrofit was specified in the transcript.