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During a Commissioners of Oxford meeting Tuesday, engineer Wayne Newton presented plans to install four temporary, portable pump stations in three locations in town: Two stations near the causeway, one station at Bank Street and one station at Mill Street.

Newton is the president of Messick & Associates, an engineering firm the town has a contract with. He said he expects the pump stations will relieve moderate flooding, which he defined as anything less than storm surge.

“A storm surge comes in, it comes over the bulkhead, it comes over the causeway, that’s not what we’re planning for here,� he said. “We’re just planning for rainy day events.�

Oxford Wastewater Superintendent Matt Ozman, who has been working closely with Newton, said the pumps will allow the town to drain water faster.

“It’s the plan of moving the water where it’s not going to take us days, it’ll be hours,� Ozman said.

Oxford Commission President Norm Bell said the town is trying to take a step back, look at what it would like to see in the future and determine what is needed today in order to build toward that.

“So this is more of a holistic viewpoint than what we’ve been looking at previously,� he said.

Commissioner Tom Costigan said the portable pump stations are more flexible than permanent pump stations in the ground.

“You can take our solution and move it to where the problem is instead of having a problem and saying, ‘Oh, well we’ve got this really neat pump station eight blocks away,’� he said.

Along with placing portable pump stations in the low-lying areas Newton identified, Newton also outlined plans to address the existing drain system on Mill Street that runs through the marina. He said he would like to re-grade and rebuild some of the drain system so water drains toward the water tower and the pump station can be moved to that area.

“We’d prefer (the pump station) to be down there,� Newton said about the area where the water tower is. “There’s more room for it down there.�

Newton said over the next month, his office plans to work on designs and cost estimates for the project that he can bring back to the commissioners for review. He said his goal is to have the project complete by the end of 2025.

The project will be funded using American Rescue Plan Act funds.

Ozman considers this project to be laying the foundation when it comes to addressing flooding issues. He said the town can hone in on these three areas first, then address flooding in other areas.

“We’re trying to do the best that we can with the money that’s available at the time without having to spend millions on something that can’t be moved, can’t be touched, can’t be retrofitted,� he said.