By Adam Swift
The Massachusetts Clean Water Trust’s (The Trust) Board of Trustees approved $64,975,777 in new low-interest loans and grants at its meeting on Thursday, Sept. 10, including two low-interest loans for projects in Revere totalling $3.24 million.
The Trust, in collaboration with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), helps communities build or replace water infrastructure that enhances ground and surface water resources, ensures the safety of drinking water, protects public health and develops resilient communities. It accomplishes these objectives by providing low-interest loans and grants to cities, towns and water utilities through the Massachusetts State Revolving Funds (SRFs). The SRF programs are partnerships between the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. SRFs function like an environmental infrastructure bank by financing water infrastructure projects in cities and towns across the Commonwealth.
The two loans that were approved for Revere include a 1.5 percent loan of $2.4 million for the Oak Island Water and Sewer replacement project and a 1.5 percent loan of $1 million for the Phase 15 field investigations for the ongoing work that has been part of the federal consent decree that was issued in 2010.
In asking the city council to approve the loan orders for the Phase 15 projects last year, Mayor Patrick Keefe stated that “the construction work proposed with (the) new fund is required to comply with the City’s Consent Decree with the U.S. Dept. of Justice, to remedy historic violations of the Federal Clean Water Act.”
The council also approved the loan order for the Oak Island MBTA railroad crossing project last year.
According to city finance director Richard Viscay, that project is located in the existing roadway on Bridge Street/Oak Island Road across the MBTA tracks and will include the replacement of the existing 6-inch cast iron water main and 8-inch clay sewer line located directly below the MBTA crossing with new co-located 8-inch ductile iron pipe.
At last week’s city council meeting, Councillor-at-Large Michelle Kelley filed a motion asking that the mayor request Chris Ciaramella, Superintendent of Public Works, to appear before the City Council to provide an update on the Consent Decree entered into in 2010 between the City of Revere and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
“I know there is a lot of miscommunication out there regarding the consent decree,” said Kelley. “Some people are under the impression that it is coming to a close, there is information out there that it is not coming to a close, that it is extended. I think it would be important for him to come in and just give us an update.
“I did speak to (Ciaramella) about this and he said he would be happy to come in and give a presentation, so I think it would be good for everyone to just discuss the topic.”
