Press Release  Healey-Driscoll Administration Awards Nearly $1.3M to Support Public Water Systems

BOSTON — The Healey-Driscoll Administration today announced nearly $1.3 million in funding to support eleven drinking water and stormwater projects across Massachusetts. 

One set of grants is from the Water Management Act Grant Program, an effort by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) to maintain the state’s healthy rivers and streams and restore degraded water resources over time. The awards announced today total $489,480 to strengthen water management, streamflow restoration, and stormwater management by seven public water suppliers. 

The second set of grants is issued by the Small, Underserved, Disadvantaged Communities grant program administered by MassDEP.  This s a voluntary, non-competitive program designed to assist small, underserved, and disadvantaged communities that need additional support to meet federal drinking water requirements, reduce exposure to Per-and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS), remove sources of lead, and address local drinking water challenges. The awards announced today total $793,000 to support four public drinking water systems in completing critical upgrades and capital improvements that enhance water quality and remove contaminants. 

“Water is a precious resource that we need to manage carefully—and that work starts in our communities,” said MassDEP Commissioner Bonnie Heiple. “These funds will help our public water suppliers continue to reliably provide safe drinking water, and manage stormwater to prevent flooding and reduce pollution. These investments are critical to protect our water, modernize infrastructure, and ensure a resilient future for residents and ecosystems alike.”

The recipients of the Water Management Act grants are:

• Town of Milford — $88,880 

Provide two or three conceptual stormwater project designs, supports public engagement and stormwater maintenance; including the design of a rain garden at Fino Field to better manage stormwater on-site.

• Town of Hadley, Mt. Warner Wells — $89,000 

Continue developing designs for a new water treatment facility, bringing the plans from 50% design to 90% design to ready the project for construction.

• Town of Hopkinton — $20,000 

Implement a multi-pronged outreach program on water conservation.

• Town of Shrewsbury — $32,400 

Evaluate an alternative supplemental water supply through interconnections with the City of Worcester at two possible locations. Interconnection options will help reduce vulnerability in the existing water supply and identify options to reduce withdrawals in the highly impacted subbasins of Shrewsbury’s current supplies.

• City of Attleboro — $120,000 

Assess current and future water demands, evaluate viable water supply sources, and develop a plan to address conditions of the city’s Water Management Act permit.

• Town of Provincetown — $67,200 

Design and install six ultrasonic district meters in locations developed in Provincetown’s June 2025 study to create five district metering areas (DMAs). The DMAs will be utilized to help isolate areas of the town to identify leaks and unaccounted for water to reduce stress on the aquifer, decrease withdrawals, and lower run times of equipment.

• Town of Webster — $72,000

Support two key studies: (1) an Optimization and Mitigation Planning Study to evaluate the applicability, feasibility, and costs to reduce or mitigate water withdrawal increases; and (2) a Water Rate Study to review rate structure and analyze methods to promote conservation while still meeting future operational and capital funding needs. 

MassDEP’s Water Management Act program guides water management in Massachusetts for both the long-term water needs of communities and the protection of aquatic ecosystems. Since 2012, the WMA grant has funded more than 113 project applications, enabling public water suppliers to conduct rate studies, develop drought plans, perform stormwater and water conservation projects, improve streamflow, rehabilitate sources, provide interconnections, and model capacity — resulting in more efficient water use across the state. 

Visit MassDEP’s Water Management Act Program webpage for more information. 

The recipients of the Small, Underserved, Disadvantaged Communities grant are:

• Blandford Water Department (Blandford, MA) – $290,000

Blandford Water Department, a small community public water system, will use this funding to install an ozone generator system, a chemical-free water treatment that removes contaminants, bacteria, viruses and odors.

• Dighton Water District (Dighton, MA) – $459,454 

Dighton Water District, a community public water system, will use this funding to install a diffused aeration system and/or active venting technology to remove volatile chemical byproducts.

• Long Pond Realty Trust (Plymouth, MA) – $9,546

Long Pond Realty Trust, a community public water system serving 140 mobile home park residents, will use this funding to complete ongoing work to design and permit pH adjustment equipment, as well as installing calcite media and an in-line filter.

• Toria Heights Condominium (Oxford, MA) – $34,000

Toria Heights Condominium, a small community water system, will use grant funding to re-line and re-coat its storage tank, helping prevent corrosion, stop leaks, and enhance water quality.

Funding for Small, Underserved, Disadvantaged Communities grants is provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through the Water Infrastructure Investments for the Nation (WIIN) grant program launched in 2018, authorized under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. Since 2018, MassDEP has awarded a total of $3,325,000 to public water suppliers serving small, underserved, and disadvantaged communities across Massachusetts.

Statement of Support:

State Senator Paul Feeney (D-Foxborough): 

“Congratulations to the City of Attleboro on receiving $120,000 in critical funding by the Water Management Act grant program. This funding will help the City maintain its high quality of water while also providing the opportunity to assess, evaluate and identify a blueprint to meet current and future water demands. I am grateful to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and the Healey-Driscoll Administration for their partnership in ensuring access to safe and reliable drinking water across the Commonwealth.” 

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