Below is a press release from Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection:
BOSTON, MA — The Healey-Driscoll Administration recently announced it has awarded $2.3 million in grants to help seven communities with water sources in the Ipswich River Basin optimize their water supply and treat for per- and poly-fluoroalkyl compounds, known as PFAS or “forever chemicals” due to their persistent nature. The grants are part of an effort by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) to maintain and improve access to clean and safe drinking water.
“Resilience and sustainability begin at the local level,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper. “While the Ipswich is one of the state’s most popular rivers for recreational activities, it’s also the drinking water source to more than 350,000 people in nearby communities. Our administration is pleased to support projects that help protect this important resource.”
The grant program will be administered by MassDEP to guide near-term action items to address challenges to water quality, as well as longer-term management efforts. Initiatives are focused on addressing water contaminants such as PFAS and connecting water supplies for emergency backup, treatment efficiencies, and other needs,
“While the importance of clean and abundant drinking water is obvious, the solutions can be complex.” said MassDEP Commissioner Bonnie Heiple. “We are proud to support communities and water suppliers in working together to design and construct infrastructure to preserve current supplies, build interconnections to share neighboring supplies, and address PFAS contamination through new treatment works.”
The Town of Wilmington received $180,200 to fund a project consisting of planning and 90 percent design (including drawings and specifications for civil and mechanical design elements, geotechnical, structural, electrical, and instrumentation and controls) of a booster water pump station to increase capacity of the town’s Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) connection so that Wilmington can supply water to their maximum daily demand.
“More than 350,000 people in the Ipswich River Basin depend on the river and its tributaries for drinking water, but the river itself continues to face major threats to its ecosystem and sustainability,” said State Senator Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester), Senate Minority Leader. “Fortunately, communities in the region are working together as never before to properly manage the water drawn from the river and maximize the benefits and resiliency of this irreplaceable resource. Doing so means investment in critical infrastructure, and these grants will go a long way in helping municipalities afford to take the needed steps to ensure that their residents can continue to have reliable drinking water supplies that are efficiently captured, stored, and delivered.”
“Water is elemental,” said State Representative Kristin Kassner (D-Hamilton). “These grants will be transformative, not just to those recipients of the grants but to all of the communities within our region as we work toward connections to improve distribution and solutions to equitable water management and water quality for us and our environment.”
For more information about the Ipswich Water Supply and PFAS Program, please visit MassDEP’s program webpage.
MassDEP’s mission is to protect and enhance the Commonwealth’s natural resources – air, water and land – to provide for the health, safety and welfare of all people, and a clean and safe environment for future generations. In carrying out this mission, MassDEP commits to address and advance environmental justice and equity for all people of the Commonwealth, provide meaningful, inclusive opportunities for people to participate in agency decisions that affect their lives and ensure a diverse workforce that reflects the communities served by the agency.
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