About & History
The goal of the SWIG program is to reduce lead in school drinking water to the lowest levels possible. The Massachusetts Clean Water Trust (the Trust) and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) are offering the SWIG program to further incentivize public and private schools, early education facilities and non-residential daycare facilities to test their drinking water and remediate detectable lead exceedances by providing grants to install filtered water bottle filling stations.
The Trust and MassDEP launched the Assistance Program for Lead in School Drinking Water in April 2016. The sampling program was designed to assist public K-12 schools as well as early education and child care facilities with assessing the levels of lead and copper in their drinking water. In May 2019, MassDEP released revised guidance to schools decreasing the remediation action level of lead in drinking water from 15 parts per billion (ppb) to less than 1 ppb. The sampling program uncovered thousands of samples that contained lead above the updated 1 ppb action level. Of the roughly 5,000 water fountains tested through the sampling program, 2,360 or 47% exceed the 1 ppb action level. Testing results may be found on the Energy and Environmental Affairs Data Portal for lead and copper testing results.
Program Overview
Eligibility
The program provides grant funding to public and private schools, early education facilities and non-residential daycare facilities for the purchase and installation of point-of-use filtered water bottle filling stations that have completed drinking water testing. Applicants will submit the Organization Form as the first step in the two-step online application process and then follow up with a facility-specific Facility Inventory Form provided by the Trust. Award recipients receive an award letter denoting the amount of grant funds awarded, the allotted number of filling stations and the facilities they are assigned to. Recipients will have one (1) year to procure and install the fixtures as well as complete post-installation water testing. For a full program description, please visit the SWIG Documents and Resources page. To learn more about the application process, please visit the SWIG Application Instructions and Guidance page.
The following public and private organizations are eligible to receive funding:
- Schools (Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12)
- Early education facilities
- Non-residential childcare facilities
An eligible facility must have:
- Completed water quality sampling and testing through MassDEP’s Assistance Program for Lead in School Drinking Water, OR
- Completed sampling and testing using MassDEP’s Lead Contamination Control Act (LCCA) sampling procedure, AND
- Entered the corresponding data to MassDEP’s LCCA Program Management Tool.
SWIG grants can cover the following*:
- Procurement of point-of-use (POU) filtered bottle filling stations
- Procurement of POU filtered bottle filling retrofit fixtures
- Procurement of replacement filters
- Installation of the procured units
- Post-installation testing
*Note: Award funds may not be used to reimburse an organization for previously purchased fixtures or any remediation activity undertaken before the grant was awarded.
Technical Specifications
Technical specifications for point-of-use fixtures, fixture installation and operation & maintenance (O&M) requirements can be found on the SWIG Documents and Resources page.
Procurement Requirements for Fixtures and Services
Organizations eligible to utilize the Commonwealth’s Operational Services Division's (OSD) statewide contract may utilize the FAC100: Building Maintenance Repair and Operations Project Materials and Supplies statewide contract to procure units. Recipients may procure installation services via OSD’s TRD01: Tradesperson Installation, Repair, Maintenance Services statewide contract, or rely on internal or established resources.
For recipients that are not eligible to utilize the OSD’s statewide contracts, the Trust suggests utilizing OSD’s lists of suppliers and installers as these distributors and contractors have been verified by the Commonwealth. Additionally, non-OSD eligible facilities must receive at least three quotes for the procurement and installation of fixtures. These quotes must be itemized and available for review by the Trust.
Receiving Federal Funds
Facilities receiving federal funds may be required to complete additional forms or deliver additional information during the application and award process. These requirements will be detailed in writing to these applicants or award recipients.
Application Review and Award Process
The Trust will review applications for eligibility. Applicants awarded grants will receive an award letter package detailing the number of filling stations allocated to each facility and the total grant amount. The package will provide directions on executing the grant agreement, program requirements and the next steps for the recipient.
The Trust reserves the right to consider applicants with large award requests outside of the award process, if said award would have a disproportionate impact on the availability of program funds.
Award Calculation and Timeline
Grant awards are calculated on a per-filling station basis. The award per filling station is $3,000. These grant funds may be used for the procurement and installation of eligible filling stations, along with filters and replacement filters. Grant funds will be disbursed in full upon receipt of the executed grant documents found in the award letter package.
Recipients will have one (1) year from the date of award disbursement to procure, install and closeout the grant. If more time is needed, then recipients may request an extension to the deadline. Award deadline extensions are at the sole discretion of the Trust.
Grant Closeout Process
Recipients are required to submit a grant closeout form and a certification of operation and maintenance (O&M) agreement to the Trust after completing the award requirements. The closeout form will ask that the recipient confirm the number of filling stations procured, cost of filling station and cost of installation. The O&M agreement will be provided in the Trust grant agreement.