PROVIDENCE – Rhode Island will receive $47.5 million in federal funding to help pay for clean water projects, members of the state's congressional delegation announced Tuesday.
The funding is from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and includes $43 billion in water infrastructure investments nationwide.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will administer the funding. It will include allocations of $16.87 million through the Clean Water State Revolving Funds, with $1.44 million set aside to address emerging contaminants and $30.6 million through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, with $7.64 million earmarked for projects addressing emerging contaminants.
The emerging contaminants funding may be used to address chemicals such as perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS.
“We tend to take clean water for granted, but we can’t afford to take our water infrastructure for granted,” said Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I. “We must strategically invest in upkeep and new projects to ensure Rhode Islanders have access to clean, safe, reliable drinking water and modern, effective wastewater collection and treatment facilities.”
The R.I. Department of Environmental Management and the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank may use the Clean Water State Revolving Funds to provide low-interest loans for water quality protection projects that improve wastewater treatment systems, control pollution from stormwater runof, and protect sensitive bodies of water and estuaries.
Also, the R.I. Department of Health and Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank will be the agencies that will oversee the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, which will provide low-interest loans for improvements to drinking water systems, focusing especially on small and low-income communities and programs that encourage pollution prevention to ensure that drinking water is safe.