MACHIAS, Maine — Officials disagree on whether permits for a proposed dry hydrant to improve firefighting capabilities in the Cathance Lake area have been unnecessarily delayed.
At a meeting March 12, Washington County Commission Chairman Chris Gardner described the project as “unbelievable” and riddled with unnecessary problems. It should have been an easy project but it is not.
“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your government at work,” he said. “Anybody who wonders how we got to where we are need only look at this very project right here. It’s paralysis by analysis.”
Unorganized Territories Supervisor Dean Preston, however, disagreed.
“It’s like anything. You have to go through a process,” he said Wednesday. “I’m not as wound up as the politicians.”
The project involves many parties, including the federal Army Corps of Engineers, the state Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and the state Land Use Planning Commission.
“The more people invited to the party sometimes the more frustrating it gets,” Preston said.
But he said he is “completely convinced” everyone is on board and the project will happen.
“I think we’re all pulling in the same direction,” he said. “I think it will be a success.”
A dry hydrant is a non-pressurized pipe system that enables firefighters to draw water from a nearby source such as a lake or river. The pipe goes through the ground and into the water about 2.5 feet below the water’s surface, allowing firefighters to draw water to fight a fire even if the surface of the lake is frozen.
“A place to draw water from makes their ability to fight any type of fire much more manageable,” Preston said, adding that fires are more common in the winter because of the use of heat sources.
The impetus for the dry hydrant proposal was a fire in March 2014 that destroyed a home in Cooper about 2 miles from the Cathance Lake boat launch. The owner later died from burns he suffered in the blaze. Firefighters had difficulty using a pumper truck to draw water from the lake, which straddles the border between Cooper and Cathance townships, because the boat launch area was not entirely clear of snow.
Preston said officials began working on permits last fall. They chose Cathance Lake because of the concentration of population and structures around it.
“The problem is we don’t own the land,” he said. “You can’t put a structure on land you don’t own.”
The land is owned by the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, which had to agree to allow the county to apply for permits in its name and to have department officials sign documents.
Because they project deals with a waterway, the Land Use Planning Commission requires a permit from the Army Corps of Engineers.
In and around the lake is critical habitat for Atlantic salmon.
“It becomes a special situation of taking care of the Atlantic salmon,” Preston said. “We know [the project] is possible because we built a boat launch there. We should be able to put a pipe in the ground.”
“Hopefully, we’ll be in line to [start work] for the spring construction season,” Preston said, acknowledging it’s more likely construction will have to take place between July 15-Aug. 15 when it would cause the least disturbance to the salmon population.
“Did it sit on the fish and wildlife dude’s desk too long? Yeah,” Preston said.
“Is it detrimental to the project? Right now, no. Could it be? Yes.
“[But] it’s not construction season. I can’t do anything anyway.”