By Christian M. Wade
BOSTON — Local governments could get a windfall of federal funding to fix aging outfalls that spew sewage into the Merrimack River and other waterways.
A $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, awaiting President Joe Biden’s signature, includes major federal investments in roadways, bridges, railways and broadband internet. But the massive spending bill also carves out $1.4 billion specifically for dealing with combined sewer overflows along the nation’s rivers and streams.
Rep. Lori Trahan, a Westford Democrat who pushed to divert more federal resources to dealing with the sewage discharges, said the influx of money will provide “robust investments” to address chronic sewage overflows.
“Folks living along the Merrimack River know better than anyone the harmful effects of combined sewage overflows that pollute one of our region’s largest sources of drinking water,” Trahan said. “Although communities have made considerable efforts to address this issue for years, the lack of federal investment in upgrading sewage systems has left them to fend for themselves.”
The money, if approved, would be made available to local governments through a federal grant program overseen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA’s Sewer Overflow and Stormwater Reuse Municipal Grant program was created earlier this year with an initial allocation of $67 million.
Overall, Massachusetts expects to get more than $9 billion from the latest pandemic relief package to come out of Washington.
Meanwhile, a $1.75 trillion social safety net and climate package, which could come up for a vote in the House as early as next week, includes another $500 million for CSO projects over the next five years and will provide more federal funds to low-income communities for CSO-related projects.
Under the plan, “distressed” communities like Lawrence, Haverhill and Methuen would be eligible to have 100% of CSO-related projects covered by the federal government.
On Beacon Hill, lawmakers are also looking to divert federal money toward dealing with frequent overflows from the combined sewer systems.
Last week, state House members approved a plan to spend federal pandemic relief funds that includes $100 million for water and sewer infrastructure upgrades, including CSO discharges.
Meanwhile, a Senate plan to spend relief and surplus money, which will be debated Wednesday, calls for diverting $175 million to address the problem.
The proposed funding falls short of what Gov. Charlie Baker was seeking for CSO improvements as part of his proposal to spend $2.9 billion of the ARPA funds on key initiatives.
Baker wants to use $400 million for water and sewer infrastructure upgrades, including work that would cap CSOs along the Merrimack River.
Designed long before the Clean Water Act was written into law in the early 1970s, the treatment systems collect storm water in the same pipes as sewage and are designed to overflow when they become inundated, usually because of heavy rain.
Since May, more than 1 billion gallons of raw or partially treated sewage have flowed into the state’s rivers from 229 active CSOs located in 19 communities, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection.
Last year, five sewage systems along the 117-mile Merrimack River reported hundreds of discharges, according to MassDEP data. Sewage treatment plants located in New Hampshire also contribute to the problem.
Public health officials say large and frequent overflows pose health risks to those who use the river for boating and swimming, as well as communities that draw drinking water from it. An estimated 600,000 people get drinking water from the Merrimack River.
Raw sewage also causes algae blooms, which can be toxic to people and deprive water bodies of oxygen, killing fish and other marine life.
Sewage treatment plant operators have been making upgrades to reduce CSO discharges, but the price tag for dealing with the problem is beyond most budgets.
Overall, Massachusetts is looking at major expenses for upgrading its aging water and sewer systems. In 2012, a legislative task force found Bay State cities and towns face $21.4 billion worth of water and sewer upgrades in the next two decades, calling it “one of the biggest fiscal challenges” for local governments.
