Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities Grant

Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities Grant is a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) that funds public water systems serving small or disadvantaged communities to address emerging contaminants including PFAS and manganese. Funded through EPA allocations under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Massachusetts received approximately $38 million for FY 2022-23, $19.

2 million for FY 2024, and $19. 5 million for FY 2025. Projects must follow assigned work-plan timelines, with the FY 2022-23 work plan ending September 30, 2029 and the FY 2024 work plan ending September 30, 2030.

Eligible applicants are Massachusetts public water suppliers serving small or disadvantaged communities. Award amounts vary. Applications are managed through MassDEP's Drinking Water Program.

MassDEP outlines ECSDC grant funding, timelines and eligible uses for small disadvantaged water systems | Citizen Portal MassDEP outlines ECSDC grant funding, timelines and eligible uses for small disadvantaged water systems Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection Drinking Water Program · December 12, 2025 Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting.

For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. Please report any errors so we can fix them. MassDEP told ECSDC grantees that federal EPA allocations provide roughly $38 million (FY22–23) plus ~$19.

2M (FY24) and ~$19. 5M (FY25) to Massachusetts; projects must follow assigned work-plan timelines (examples: 09/30/2029 or 09/30/2030) and may address PFAS, manganese and other emerging contaminants.

Abby Jacobs, ECSDC Grant Program Manager for the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) Drinking Water Program, opened the webinar by summarizing the Emerging Contaminants in Smaller Disadvantaged Communities (ECSDC) grants awarded by EPA in February 2023.

She said the program provides states funds to help public water systems and small or disadvantaged communities address emerging contaminants such as PFAS and manganese. Jacobs provided allocation figures and work-plan timelines for awardees.

"This grant program is actually three separate grants," she said, noting combined allocations of about $38,000,000 for fiscal years 2022–23, about $19,200,000 for FY24 and about $19,500,000 for FY25. She told attendees to confirm which work plan their project is on because each work plan has a different end date; for example, the 22/23 work plan ends 09/30/2029 and the 2024 work plan ends 09/30/2030.

Why it matters: the assigned work plan determines milestone and completion dates that affect contracting, invoicing and eligibility for follow-on funding. Jacobs urged awardees to review their award letters and intake forms and to contact MassDEP regional staff with questions about timelines.

The webinar covered program goals, eligible contaminant types drawn from EPA's Consumer Confidence List and the overall intent to support treatment, testing, pilot studies and permitting activities that reduce contaminant risks for disadvantaged communities. Jacobs closed the overview by listing the presenter team and directing attendees to program contact emails for follow-up.