Sec. 1. P&SL 1971, c. 83, §3 is amended to read:

*Sec. 3. Authority to construct and maintain. The district is authorized to lay in, along, under and through the streets, roads, ways and highways and tidal waters, lakes; ponds, rivers and water courses in said area and across private lands therein, and to maintain, repair and replace all such pipes, lines, drains, conduits, interceptor lines, trunk sewers, outfalls, outlets, fixtures and appurtenances and to construct, operate, maintain and replace such collection, disposal, treatment and purification facilities and appurtenances, as may be necessary and convenient for the district in carrying out the foregoing powers. The division of responsibility between this district and the city as to maintenance of facilities in streets shall be at the top of the manhole and catch basin covers, with the city to be responsible for the area above the same.

Sec. 2. P&SL 1971, c. 83, §7-A is enacted to read:

*Sec. 7-A.__Title to current public drains.__Notwithstanding section 7, on the effective date of this Act, the title of all public drains that are not used for the collection of wastewater from the customers of the district passes to and is vested in the City of Hallowell without monetary consideration.__The city shall maintain and operate the public storm-water drains.

SUMMARY

In 1971 the Hallowell Water District was authorized to collect sewerage in the City of Hallowell and the title of the existing sewer collection system passed from the City of Hallowell to the Hallowell Water District. At that time, the collection system was a combined system that collected both wastewater and storm water. Since that time, the district has constructed a new collection system for the wastewater. This created 2 separate systems, a sewer system for the collection of wastewater and a storm-water system for the collection of storm-water runoff and groundwater. This bill returns the ownership and responsibility of the storm-water system to the City of Hallowell.