KENNEBEC JOURNAL • May 6, 2023
Sewer bills for tens of thousands of other homeowners across the state, is going up starting July 1 as officials in cities, towns and sewer districts reckon with the impact of the state’s sludge disposal crisis. Since March, the cost of hauling away sludge, the semisolid byproduct of wastewater treatment, has skyrocketed for about 30 wastewater treatment plants across the state served by Casella Waste Systems as Casella is now trucking to landfills in New Brunswick rather than the state-owned Juniper Ridge landfill just north of Old Town. Sewer plant operators are passing on the increased trucking costs to ratepayers.