SAUGUS — The town was awarded a $250,000 lead service line planning grant by the Massachusetts Clean Water Trust Board of Trustees, as part of the trust’s Lead Service Line Replacement Program.
Saugus’ $250,000 award is the largest of the 13 lead service line planning grants doled out by the trust, which total $2.04 million. The planning grants are aimed at helping public-water suppliers with “complying with lead and copper rule revisions” and are specifically for projects to ensure compliance with the rules.
Earlier this year, Town Meeting approved a borrowing authorization of the same amount — $250,000 — to implement the second phase of the Lead and Copper Rule Revision Inventory Project. The rule was established by the Environmental Protection Agency in 1991, and requires all water distribution systems to minimize lead and copper levels in drinking water by fending off corrosion of lead- and copper-containing plumbing materials. As part of the second phase, the town will develop an inventory of all service lines and verify the material they are made of.
The scope of the project Saugus was awarded funds for comprises follow-on services based on findings and recommendations from the Phase 1 Water Service Line Inventory project, according to the trust. Saugus is expected to complete Phase 2 of the project, in which that inventory will be undertaken, by October 2024.
The project will include “continued record reviews and refinement of the inventory database developed in Phase 1,” according to the trust. If public-water suppliers do find lead service lines, they must have a plan in place to replace those lines within five years.
The trust works with the Department of Environmental Protection to help “build or replace water infrastructure that enhances ground and surface water resources, ensure the safety of drinking water, protect public health and develop resilient communities.” It does so by awarding low-interest loans and grants, like the one the town received, through Massachusetts state revolving funds.
The revolving funds act as an “environmental infrastructure bank by financing water-infrastructure projects in cities and towns across the Commonwealth,” according to the trust.
