PIWD Receives $1.35M From Infrastructure Bill

The Prudence Island Water District is pleased to have been included in the recent federal FY 2022 Omnibus Appropriations bill.

The $1.35 million in funding received will be spent on important infrastructure projects the PIWD could not otherwise have afforded. At the May meeting, the PIWD board decided to put replacement of the Governor Paine “express” and other substandard lines out to bid. These lines have been responsible for over half of the system’s leaks in recent years, so replacement will improve system reliability, reduce the chance of depressurization or de-watering, and save customers an estimated $10,000 annually in emergency repairs and associated costs.

Many thanks go to Richard Rainer and Robin Weber, who prepared the application for the funding, others in Portsmouth and the PIWD who supported their effort, our elected federal and state representatives, and to all who completed income surveys, wrote letters of support, or otherwise helped us secure this essential funding.

In addition to the federal funds, the PIWD expects a significant state contribution to the ongoing water treatment project, which will remove bacteria, iron, and manganese from our water. Also, Portsmouth has graciously decided to share its ARPA (COVID relief) funding with the Prudence Island Water District; we expect this will cover a replacement generator, communications infrastructure, equipment, and other smaller engineering projects that will make our system more reliable and easier to operate.