Healey administration awards grants to improve water supply in Ipswich River communities
Deerfield to vote on lowering town election age
The administration announced on Monday that the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) administered $950,000 in grants to five communities. This is the second year of the grant program, which intends to protect the aquatic ecosystems of the Ipswich River Basin and improve long-term water supply for the residents in the region.
Through this funding, these communities and water suppliers can remove polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from drinking water. According to MassDEP, these 'forever chemicals' are persistent and harmful and can cause adverse health outcomes to residents if not removed.
'This funding will provide communities with the tools they need to design and construct infrastructure to preserve current water supplies, build interconnections to share neighboring supplies, and address PFAS contamination,' said MassDEP Commissioner Bonnie Heiple. 'The Ipswich River Basin has unique drinking water challenges, and we are committed to supporting communities in addressing harmful PFAS in our drinking water.'
The grant funds were awarded to the following communities and water suppliers:
Modeling and Connection to Salem Beverly Water Supply Board (SBWSB) by Hamilton and Wenham: $279,775
MWRA Connection, Town of Wilmington: $154,208
PFAS Treatment, Town of Ipswich: $370,000
Construction of an Alternative Source Interconnection, Lynnfield Center Water District (LCWD): $138,160
For more information on the 2025 grant program and the projects these communities plan to implement, visit mass.gov.
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