Sebago Lake has always been known as one of the finest water supplies in America. The Portland Water District is proud to continue the tradition of providing safe, clean and great tasting water to its customers with the Sebago Lake Water Treatment Facility, the Steep Falls Pumping Station . The Sebago Lake Water Treatment Facility is located on a 10 acre site near the intersection of Rt. 35 and Rt. 237 in Standish.
Treatment includes screening, ozonation, chlorination and corrosion control.
The Federal Safe Drinking Water Act was amended in 1986 in response to concerns about drinking water quality throughout the country. The Act required that drinking water from all surface water supplies be filtered. The district applied for and obtained a waiver from this filtration requirement because of the exceptional water quality of Sebago Lake and the District's comprehensive watershed protection program. Many other aspects of drinking water quality were addressed by the Safe Drinking Water Act amendments including new standards for disinfection. Disinfection is the destruction of disease causing organisms such as bacteria, viruses and Giardia.