Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts Ed Markey
Boston (April 4, 2023) – Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) today celebrated an announcement from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that Massachusetts will receive more than $105 million in federal funding through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) and $25 million from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) to provide the public with safe and clean drinking water and to protect water quality by expanding, improving and replacing current water systems over the next 20 years.
The more than $25 million in federal funding that Massachusetts will receive from the CWSRF will ensure communities across the Commonwealth have the resources necessary to upgrade essential wastewater and stormwater systems, defending public health and keeping Massachusetts streams, rivers, lakes and Cape Cody Bay safe from waste and runoff upstream. Of the $105.9 million from the DWSRF, $33.7 million will be directed to replacing dangerous lead pipes and $16.4 million will support efforts to eradicate emerging contaminants like per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
“Massachusetts cities and towns deserve water infrastructure that is built for the 21st century, and communities along the banks of our state’s rivers and coastline deserve only the cleanest, clearest water downstream,” said Senator Markey. “The $131 million in federal funding will ensure our water infrastructure delivers clean, safe drinking water for all families, is made more resilient against climate disasters, and is more capable of protecting public health.”
“It is critical that Massachusetts have a safe, durable, and resilient water infrastructure system,” said Senator Warren. “Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, cities and towns across the Commonwealth will have the resources they need to protect our beautiful shorelines and waterways and ensure clean drinking water for our families.”
Senators Markey and Warren have long worked to ensure water resource and infrastructure legislation includes investments for Massachusetts. In 2016, the two lawmakers secured provisions that increased funding and resource opportunities for the Commonwealth and directly supported water resource and infrastructure projects in Boston and coastal communities along the Massachusetts shoreline. In 2021, the Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act included Senator Markey’s provisions to increase funding for the federal Assistance for Small and Disadvantaged Communities Program to $510 million over five years, supporting the program’s efforts to guarantee clean drinking water in frontline communities and expand an existing grant program so that more municipalities could access federal funds to help develop systems to notify communities of sewer overflows.
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