EPA announces grant program to limit sewer overflows

BOSTON — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday announced the availability of approximately $3 million in grants for Massachusetts communities through its Sewer Overflow and Stormwater Reuse Municipal Grant program to help communities address stormwater and sewer infrastructure needs.

These grants will strengthen systems that safely capture and manage stormwater to help prevent contaminants, including untreated sewage, from polluting nearby waterways. The agency will provide funding from both fiscal years 2025 and 2026 totaling $2,927,000 to Massachusetts, which will be awarded to communities there.

The grant money is part of an $80 million pool of money being made available by the EPA to states across the nation.

“New England has some of the oldest infrastructure in the country, and this funding will help our communities make the necessary improvements to reduce overflows and protect the waterways that families and businesses rely on each and every day,” said EPA Regional Administrator Mark Sanborn. “Clean water is essential

to a healthy economy and strong communities, and EPA is working with our state and local partners to deliver cost-effective solutions that protect human health and the environment and make the most of American taxpayer dollars.”

Lon Hachmeister, a Newbury environmentalist and member of regional environmental group Alliance of Climate and Environmental Stewards, said the grant will likely fund small, critical stormwater infrastructure projects in communities to redirect stormwater away from natural waterbodies and sewer treatment plants. Such work would go toward reducing combined sewer overflows (CSO) and sanitary sewer overflows (SSO).

“The idea for this sewer overflow and stormwater reuse municipal grants program has been around for a while and it is encouraging to see that there is still a will to carry it forward,” Hachmeister said. “The overall two-year grant size of $80 million is not overwhelming but it at least allows municipalities to kick off pilot projects that can be started and expanded if future funding becomes available under future administrations.”

Hachmeister said he was particularly encouraged to learn that 25% of the funds are being earmarked for rural and smaller communities with populations under 10,000 as well as distressed communities.

“Projects will likely be small, for example, if there were rain gardens in a park that delayed the water from sheeting off and going directly into the storm water drains and sewer treatment plants, but rather percolating down into the ground where it can be filtered and slowly released back into a natural river system as clean water,” Hachmeister said.

Hachmeister said the grant opens up the potential for multiple-municipality collaboratives to join forces and collectively increase the impact of several small coordinated projects for the good of the larger Merrimack watershed.

“Our reaction here in Greater Newburyport is positive, grateful for any help we can get cleaning up our lakes and rivers, but also realistic about the amount of money available for individual projects and the overall scale of the problem,” Hachmeister said.

Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, who chairs a Merrimack River regional task force, said the funds have the potential to fuel significant progress that might not otherwise be possible if communities are forced to bear the substantial costs of stormwater separation on their own.

“Eliminating CSO’s is a priority for our region as we work together to improve the health of the Merrimack River, yet doing so carries the high price of infrastructure improvements to prevent stormwater from overwhelming the treatment plants that discharge into the river,” the Gloucester Republican said.

Stormwater can be a significant source of water pollution and a public health concern. It can collect various pollutants, including trash, chemicals, oils, and dirt/sediment, and convey them to nearby waterways. When mixed with domestic and industrial wastewater in combined sewers, stormwater can also contribute to combined sewer overflows during heavy storm events, according to the EPA.

“Stormwater and sewage systems are critical for managing pollution to keep our nation’s waterways clean and support healthy people, economic growth, and thriving ecosystems,” said EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Jess Kramer. “This $80 million investment will help states upgrade stormwater management systems to address the threat of aging and inadequate infrastructure.”

Safely and effectively managing stormwater to reduce pollution before it reaches local waterways is essential. However, the cost to construct, operate, and maintain stormwater infrastructure can be significant, which can strain wastewater systems and their customers, especially in small and financially distressed communities, according to EPA officials.

The agency’s Sewer Overflow and Stormwater Reuse Municipal Grant program will prioritize projects for small and/or financially distressed communities. Under the existing regulations, state grantees are not required to contribute cost shares for projects located in small and/or financially distressed communities, the EPA added.

News of the grant award comes soon after Tarr secured a $1.25 million spending authorization to support efforts to improve the health of the Merrimack River.

The authorization was tucked into a $3.64 billion environmental bond bill passed by the Senate last month. The legislation now advances for further consideration by the House of Representatives.

Specifically, proceeds from the amendment would fund projects, equipment and other costs associated with improving and maintaining the health of the Merrimack River and its watershed including, but not limited to, dam removal or modification, monitoring, acquiring tests and analytical equipment and supplies, modeling, combined sewer overflow reduction project planning, design, construction, non point source pollution identification and elimination and infiltration and inflow reduction and elimination efforts, according to Tarr.

“The Merrimack River supplies drinking water for more than 600,000 people, provides essential habitat for fish and wildlife, hosts a variety of recreational activities, supports local economies, and contributes substantially to our quality of life,” said Tarr, “and we must continue to work to maximize its health and vitality.”

Dave Rogers is the editor of the Daily News of Newburyport. Email him at: drogers@newburyportnews. com. Follow him on Twitter @ drogers41008.

Orriginaly published by The daily News of Newburyport on May 1, 2026.