In Brief

The EPA announced $41 million in new technical assistance funding under America’s Water Infrastructure Act to help communities address urgent wastewater challenges. NEIWPCC was among the grant recipients to help rural, small and tribal communities improve their technical, managerial, and financial capacity and maintain compliance.

The Lake Champlain Basin Program’s Resource Room surpassed half a million visitors since its opening in May 2003.

The Long Island Regional Planning Council, in partnership with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and NEIWPCC, is introducing the Long Island Garden Rewards Program. The program will provide up to $500 to offset the expense of installing green infrastructure on their properties including rain barrels, native plantings, and rain gardens.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) proposed amendments to New York's water quality criteria that are a key component of water quality standard regulations. The proposed criteria would set more stringent limitations on certain bacteria to further help protect public health when using marine waterways. DEC is accepting public comments on the proposed amendments until June 20.

National Public Radio’s Morning Edition covered issues surrounding PFAS in biosolids.

The Nature Conservancy’s Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program and the Lake Champlain Basin Program released a pair of free complementary guides on invasive species in the Adirondacks: Field Guide to Terrestrial Invasive Species of the Adirondacks, and Lake Champlain Basin Aquatic Invasive Species Guide.

The EPA announced over $6.5 billion for states, tribes, and territories for essential drinking water infrastructure upgrades across the nation through the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF). 

The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services announced the approval of two Aquatic Resource Mitigation (ARM) Fund project grants totaling more than $275,000. 

Massachusetts officials announced $1.3 billion in funding for 185 drinking water and wastewater infrastructure projects. The low interest rate loans and grants will fund construction, planning and asset management projects designed to improve water quality, upgrade or replace aging drinking water and wastewater infrastructure and cut treatment plant energy use and costs. 

Focusing on four watersheds, a new Dartmouth study provides insight into how changes in precipitation and temperature due to global warming affect streamflow and flooding in the Northeast. The findings are published in the Journal of the American Water Resources Association.

New York officials announced $425 million in grants for water infrastructure projects statewide. State agencies, local governments, and partners will be able to access funding to protect water quality, help communities adapt to climate change, improve resiliency, and create green jobs. 

The EPA New England's Healthy Communities Grant Program is now accepting applications. The program is an opportunity for community organizations to identify and reduce environmental risks, resulting in improved human health protection, better quality of life, advanced resilience, and preserved/restored ecosystems to address their local priorities in conjunction with EPA focus areas.