MassDEP recently announced Engineering and Design Planning Grants to assist small and disadvantaged communities.

Many public water suppliers (PWS) in Massachusetts have detected PFAS and other emerging contaminants in their drinking water at levels exceeding regulatory standards. Small and disadvantaged suppliers (those serving under 10,000 residents and that meet certain per capita income metrics) often do not have the technical or financial capacity to develop the necessary engineering and design plans to address the contamination, which is a necessary precursor to apply for grants, loans, or financial assistance to remediate the issue.

MassDEP has contracted with two firms to provide engineering and design planning assistance to such PWS, with the goal of putting them in a position to apply for such financial assistance (such as the State Revolving Fund, Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities Grant, and other opportunities as eligible and available). This grant will provide up to $75,000 in engineering and design costs per project. The application will be available to submit until all funds are fully expended.

Additional information on PWS eligibility, design and planning support, and eligible project categories can be found on MassDEP’s website: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/engineering-and-design-planning-for-emerging-contaminants-in-small-and-disadvantaged-communities.