Ribbon cutting celebrates new project that brings improved fire protection and development capacity to town

Today, representatives from the Town of Gorham and Windham joined the Portland Water District for an open house and ribbon cutting celebrating the opening of the new Wards Hill Water Pump Station.

Construction on the new Wards Hill Water Pump Station in Gorham was completed early this fall, allowing the undersized and outdated Gorham Station to be decommissioned.  The new booster station provides increased flow capacity from 650 Gallons Per Minute (gpm) to 1,000 gpm. The increased capacity improves reliability and adds a much needed boost of supply for fire protection and economic development.  During construction this summer, a temporary pump was needed to provide additional water to meet Gorham’s water demands.   The $2 million project took 18 months to complete. 

This project is part of a larger phased improvement plan for Gorham and Windham. The upgrade began in 2006 with the installation of water mains in parts of Fort Hill Rd., Huston Rd. and Ward’s Hill Rd. This portion of the plan improved water pressure to several customers in the area.  Over the next few years, improvements will be made to connect the Gorham and Windham distribution systems and allow the Wards Hill Pump Station to also serve as the primary station feeding Windham.  Once connected, the Wards Hill station will allow for the Prides Corner station to be taken off line or repurposed, and both towns will be able to operate as a single pressure zone.

Ribbon Cutting Photo:

Suzie Phillips, Town Councilor(Gorham); Robert Lefebvre, Fire Chief (Gorham); Joel Anderson, Water Services Plant Chief Operator (Portland Water District); Louise Douglas, Trustee (Portland Water District); Lee Pratt, Town Councilor (Gorham);  Guy Cote, Trustee (Portland Water District), Brent Libby, Fire Chief (Windham)