Golden delivers $731,000 to meet water demand, avoid rationing in Stonington

WASHINGTON — Congressman Jared Golden (ME-02) announced today that he has secured $731,000 for the construction of a new water storage facility in Stonington, which will help the town meet increased demand for water and improve water pressure in homes and businesses.

The funding is part of the partial 2024 government funding package signed into law Saturday. 

“Residents and visitors in Stonington shouldn’t have to wonder whether any water will flow when they turn on the tap. But lack of rain and increased seasonal demand have at times left the town reliant on water trucks to meet demand,” Golden said. “This funding will help ensure water is available where and when it’s needed, no matter the season.” 

The funding will be used to expand the current water distribution system to add a water storage facility for Stonington. The Stonington Water Company pumps water into the system from a series of wells on Deer Isle, which are stored in a 30-year-old storage tank. During recent summers, the company had to truck in several thousand gallons of water to meet summer demand at a great expense to taxpayers. 

“Having supplemental storage will enable us to better prepare for high usage times and not run so low as to be a public safety water problem for potable supply and fire flows,” wrote Stonington Town Manager Kathleen Billings in a March 2023 letter supporting the project. “Leaks in our old water system plague us at times, so additional storage can help us not get to critical levels of storage concern.” 

The request on behalf of the Loring Development Authority was one of 15 awards from Golden’s Community Project Funding (CPF) requests approved as part of the appropriations package. His $26 million in successful CPF requests was the most of any Democrat in Congress.

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