Johnston Pump Station

Johnston Pump Station, located on the shores of Floods Pond, is named after Donald Johnston, a former District superintendent. The station has two intake pipes which are 36 inches in diameter. One is in approximately 13.5 feet of water, and the second is in about 23.5 feet of water. Four vertical well-type electrically driven 150 hp pumps are on site, each capable of pumping five million gallons per day. From 1957 to 1995, raw water was treated at this pump station. Today Johnston Pump Station continues to pump raw water from Floods Pond to the Ozone Treatment Plant approximately one mile away where the water is treated and then flows to the tap by gravity.

Butler Ozone Treatment Facility

Beginning in 1995, chemical dosing was moved to the Butler Ozone Treatment Facility located about a mile from the original station. The water is treated with ozone and chloramines for disinfection, soda ash for pH adjustment, and fluoride for dental health. The pond has a natural fluoride content of about 0.20 ppm.

The Butler facility was named for Paul G. Butler of Bangor, who worked a total of 33 years for the City Water Department which then became the Bangor Water District. In addition to serving as chemist and assistant superintendent, Butler was responsible for much of the testing that resulted in Floods Pond being chosen as the source of supply.

Both plants have auxiliary generators to ensure lights, heat and pumping facilities during a power failure. The ozone facility is manned by operators 24 hours a day, seven days a week who control water pumpage and treatment and monitor other District storage and pump facilities through a computer network.

Pump Stations and Standpipes

Three pump stations in Bangor are used to control water flow. These are: Griffin Road, built in 1987; Perry Road, built in 1988; and Bangor International Airport, built in 1943. The latter underwent extensive renovations in 1994, and was named in honor of Harold Crane of Bangor, a retired 43-year employee and former service truck supervisor.

Water for emergency purposes is stored in seven standpipes, totaling 15,850,000 gallons. These are:

Thomas Hill--which holds l,750,000 gallons and is a riveted wrought iron tank with a wood jacket. It is located on Thomas Hill, rises 50 feet, and is 75 feet in diameter. The tank, built in 1897, is the District's oldest standpipe. It is a national historic landmark as designated by the Register of Historic Places and the Maine Historic Preservation Commission. It is also designated an American Water Landmark by the American Water Works Association. The lights which illuminate the top at night resemble a queen's crown, in keeping with Bangor being known as the "Queen City."

Bomarc--a welded steel tank located at the former Bomarc base which holds l,500,000 gallons. This is the District's newest standpipe, constructed in 1986.

Essex Street--two steel tanks, the oldest built in 1933 and holding 2,000,000 gallons, and the other built in 1958 and holding 4,000,000 gallons. One is 47 feet high and 85 feet in diameter, the other is 48 feet high and 120 feet in diameter.

Hammond Street--a steel welded tank holding 5,000,000 gallons. It stands 74 feet high and is 110 feet in diameter. It was built in 1963.

Bangor International Airport--a l,000,000 gallon standpipe which stands 100 feet high. It was built in 1944, and is painted in an orange-and-white checkerboard fashion due to its proximity to runways.

Hermon –- the District’s newest standpipe, built in 1999.  Holding 600,000 gallons, the standpipe is located on the Coldbrook Road in Hermon and was constructed as part of the Hermon service area expansion.

SCADA System

Operation of the pump station and standpipes, chemical dosing, and monitoring equipment are supported by a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system (SCADA) computer. The computer is monitored from the engineering department on State Street in Bangor and at the ozone plant. This SCADA system helps operate all BWD transmission and distribution facilities, and is designed to continue operating in case of power loss. The SCADA system utilizes telephone telemetry to communicate with the 14 remote sites which it monitors and operates on a continuous basis. In the event that all communications are lost, there is a small computer at each pump station designed to allow continued operation. Many other functions such as intrusion alarms, temperature control, etc. are monitored by the SCADA system. The system is capable of monitoring up to 99 sites, thus giving the District expansion capabilities in the future.

Transmission Lines

The transmission facilities include a 30-inch reinforced pre- stressed concrete pipeline from Floods Pond to the Penobscot River. The main is located along the northerly side of Burnt, Little Burnt, and Snowshoe ponds, and then runs westerly to East Eddington. A 5.5-mile road owned by the District runs over the transmission line to the intersection with Rt. 9, at which point the line then runs along the northern edge of Rt. 9. At the east bank of the Penobscot River at Eddington Bend, the transmission line splits into two 24-inch pre-stressed reinforced concrete mains which pass under the river.

On the west bank of the river in Veazie, the two lines rejoin and form a single 30-inch main which runs to a control valve facility near Bangor Hydro-Electric's Graham Station, and then out Mount Hope Avenue and into the City.