BOSTON — The Healey-Driscoll Administration announced more than $17.4 million in grant awards to 21 public water suppliers to assist with long-term solutions that address and mitigate emerging contaminants in drinking water. 

 

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) selected 21 projects to help remove PFAS and manganese.

 

Berkshire County Awardees:

 

Housatonic Water Works Company – $350,000 

The Housatonic Water Works Company in Great Barrington plans to construct a new treatment facility to remove manganese from the drinking water source at Long Pond. The grant will fund planning and design.

 

Lanesborough Fire and Water District – $1,000,000 

The Lanesborough Fire and Water District will develop another groundwater supply well off Bull Hill Road in Lanesborough.

 

Egremont Town Hall – $38,000 

The town plans to install a filtration and treatment unit at the Egremont Town Hall water supply point of entry.

 

"Contaminated drinking water poses a threat to public health and the environment if left unchecked. Small and disadvantaged public water systems face significant resource challenges when it comes to identifying and neutralizing these unregulated pollutants," said MassDEP Commissioner Bonnie Heiple. "This funding from the EPA provides significant support for these critical water projects as we work with public water suppliers to ensure safe and healthy drinking water for all residents across Massachusetts."

 

Launched in 2023 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities (EC-SDC) Grant Program provides states with funds to assist small and disadvantaged communities in improving their drinking water through projects and activities that address emerging contaminants that are registered on EPA's Contaminant Candidate Lists (CCL). Water contaminants that are known or anticipated to occur in public water systems and are not currently subject to federal drinking water regulations are added to the list and prioritized for further information collection and action. The grant program is made possible through funding from the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

 

PFAS and manganese are among the list of unregulated contaminants that are increasingly impacting water resources. PFAS are a group of harmful man-made chemicals widely used in common consumer products, industrial processes, and in certain firefighting foams. Exposure to sufficiently elevated levels of PFAS compounds may cause a variety of health effects, including developmental effects in infants, impacts to certain organ functions and the immune system, and an elevated cancer risk. Manganese is a naturally occurring element that's present in water, soil, air, and food. While a small amount of manganese is necessary for good health, long-term exposure to high levels in drinking water may have adverse impacts to the nervous system.