Press Release  Healey-Driscoll Administration Awards $2.3 Million to Seven Ipswich River Communities

BOSTON — The Healey-Driscoll Administration today 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 following communities and water suppliers were awarded funds:

Hamilton, Wenham, Salem Beverly Water Supply Board (SBWSB) - $232,490
Modeling and Connection to SBWSB
This project will analyze, permit and design a new interim water supply connection between Hamilton and Wenham to ensure a supply from the SBWSB on an emergency and possibly a long-term basis. This project will also analyze and produce a conceptual design of available treatment strategies for removing PFAS from Wenham’s two groundwater sources.

Town of Wilmington - $180,200
MWRA Connection
This project consists 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.

Town of Ipswich - $493,112 
PFAS Treatment 
This project reimburses the town for steps taken to develop a new water treatment plant, which will address limited treatment capacity, including PFAS. The new treatment plant is being designed with capacity to treat additional sources of water quality and quantity in the Parker River Basin, improving the opportunity to reduce the town’s reliance on its river basin sources. This project also funds monitoring wells around a potential new water source outside of the Ipswich River Basin.

Lynnfield Center Water District (LCWD) - $695,000
Construction of an Alternative Source Interconnection
This project consists of the construction of the vault and associated system components to connect the Wakefield and LCWD systems. This includes: a 21-foot by 7.5-foot concrete, below-grade vault; approximately 200 feet of 8-inch transmission pipe; valve for controlling flow through the interconnection; venturi meter for measurement of flow; and sample station and associated instrumentation and controls.

Lynnfield Center Water District (LCWD) - $75,000 
LCWD Admission as an MWRA Member Community
This project will assist the District in applying for and meeting the requirements of a MWRA membership, including all necessary certificates and permits.

Lynnfield Center Water District (LCWD) - $540,025 
Design Addition of PFAS Treatment to Glen Drive Water Treatment Plant
The grant will fund engineering design of the Granulated Activated Carbon treatment system configuration at the Glen Drive water treatment plant to remove PFAS contamination in drinking water sources in the Ipswich River Basin.

Lynnfield Center Water District (LCWD) - $84,100 
Design of Station 2 Raw Water Pipeline for PFAS Treatment
This project will fund a portion of the infrastructure design of a raw water pipeline from LCWD’s source at Station 2 (Main Street) to the Glen Drive Water Treatment Plant and associated pumping upgrades to allow for the treatment of PFAS.

“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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