To the Editor:
In last week’s Lincoln County News it was announced that Wiscasset had received a $20,000 grant from the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry to conduct an engineering study to create a plan for the protection of the wastewater treatment plant from flooding and sea-level rise.
It was also noted that the Chairman of the Board of Selectmen, Ben Rines, had “voted against pursuing the grant application when the process began in April. Rines maintained his opposition to the grant, saying he felt it was a waste of state money.”
Evidently federal studies have shown that the sewage plant, rail, and piers could all be under water in a 1 percent storm surge event in the coming decades, combined with high tides and the rate of sea level rise. This could cause extensive property damage and great health risks.
We are fortunate to have received this grant which will help to point the way to solutions for these potential disasters, and I would like to thank the town employees who had the foresight to apply for this assistance.
Susan van Alsenoy
Wiscasset
