Treasurer Goldberg awards $51m in grants for 14 municipal water projects

Boston, MA According to state treasurer Deborah Goldberg, chair of the Massachusetts Clean Water Trust (Trust) board of trustees, $51 million in grants were awarded for 14 projects in 12 communities across Massachusetts. The grant funds will help cities, towns, counties, and water utilities pay for the $237 million in total project cost for improvements to drinking water and wastewater infrastructure.

The funding for these grants is available from two sources. The first is the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which provided additional federal funding to the Trust with a requirement that part of the funding be provided as grants. The second source is the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding that was provided by the Massachusetts State Legislature to be directed to water projects throughout the Commonwealth.

“These grants will support vital water projects throughout our state,” said Goldberg. “By utilizing federal funding, we can reduce costs for our local communities and create positive impacts statewide, particularly in communities that need the improvements most.”

“Everyone in Massachusetts deserves access to clean water,” said governor Maura Healey. “These federal funds will help us improve drinking water and wastewater infrastructure to the people of our state. As an administration, we’re committed to competing for the federal funding available to us and we’re thankful to treasurer Goldberg for her leadership.”

“Massachusetts communities are planning upgrades to treatment works, sewer mains, and distribution systems that are critical for public health and resiliency,” said commissioner Bonnie Heiple of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP).“We are grateful our federal partners recognize the importance of this work and are partnering with us to direct supplemental funding to where it is needed most.”

The grants will be provided as loan forgiveness and are part of a larger low or no-interest loan. The grants were awarded by project category and provide much needed financial assistance towards high-priority projects. Additionally, communities that qualify as “Disadvantaged Communities,” determined by an affordability metric that ranks each community in the Commonwealth, will receive additional loan forgiveness funds to ensure that funding is given to the communities that need it most. The Trust understands certain communities face exceptional environmental and financial challenges.

By utilizing loan forgiveness, this can minimize the fiscal impact of these vital water infrastructure projects.

“Access to clean water is essential for all our residents and this funding is an important way the state can partner with communities around Massachusetts to use federal resources to address their water infrastructure needs. I’m excited and proud to see another round of grants put to use to benefit residents across the state,” said Secretary of Administration and Finance Matthew J. Gorzkowicz.

The Trust, in collaboration with MassDEP, helps communities build or replace water infrastructure that enhances ground and surface water resources, ensures the safety of drinking water, protects public health, and develops resilient communities. It accomplishes these objectives by providing low-interest loans and grants to cities, towns, and water utilities through the Massachusetts State Revolving Funds (SRFs). The SRF programs are partnerships between the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. SRFs function like an environmental infrastructure bank by financing water infrastructure projects in cities and towns across the Commonwealth.