Since Sen. Edmund Muskie authored the Clean Water Act, no one has done more for Maine’s rivers and lakes than Sen. Susan Collins.

I retired after 34 years at the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and now work as a consultant in the clean water industry. Over the course of my career, I have personally worked on and witnessed many clean water projects across the state — from Fort Kent to Kittery —made possible by federal funding Sen. Collins helped secure.

These investments have supported drinking water systems, wastewater treatment facilities, stormwater controls, and pollution reduction efforts that protect public health and Maine’s natural resources.

The benefits of this work are difficult to overstate. Virtually every home in Maine has benefited in some way from these projects, whether through safer drinking water, clean rivers and lakes, healthier coastal waters, or the economic impact of well-paying jobs created and sustained by this work. Sen. Collins has consistently demonstrated protecting the environment and supporting Maine’s workforce are not competing goals, but complementary ones.

Having spent my career in environmental protection, I can say from direct experience that Sen. Collins’ leadership has delivered real, lasting results for Maine people and communities. Her record on clean water is unmatched, and Maine is better for it.

Nick Archer
Waterford