Mayor Cherelle Parker last week was at the Northeast Water Pollution Control Plant, 3899 Richmond St. in Bridesburg, as the city accepted a state grant for water infrastructure improvement projects.
House Majority Appropriations Chairman Jordan Harris presented nearly $25 million in state grant funding to Water Department Commissioner Randy Hayman.
“As Appropriations chairman, I’m pleased to announce a $24.7 million grant for the Philadelphia Water Department, addressing critical infrastructure needs,” Harris said. “Harrisburg is delivering for the City of Philadelphia, and it reflects a commitment to fortifying the aging infrastructure in one of the nation’s oldest cities. This funding, sourced from three Commonwealth Financing Grants under the American Rescue Plan Act’s H2O PA Program, supports drinking water, sanitary sewer and stormwater projects. This significant investment highlights the collaborative efforts of city champions who secured state dollars to protect Philadelphia’s communities, ensuring the city’s resilience against hazardous weather conditions and strengthening its water supply for the future.”
Water Department projects that received the funding include the Northeast Effluent Pump Station Infrastructure Project, the Queen Lane Raw Water Pump Station Power Resilience Project and the 21st Street Storm Sewer Improvement.
“I want to thank our majority Appropriations chairman in the House, Rep. Jordan Harris, for his leadership in securing $25 million in funding for badly needed water and sewer infrastructure projects for Philadelphia,” Parker said. “I’ll thank every member of our Philadelphia delegation in the House and Senate who supported this grant as well. And these are federal dollars, passing through the commonwealth and now to Philadelphia, so we thank President Biden and Vice President Harris also. Relationships and intergovernmental ties matter, and that’s how this grant is coming into Philadelphia – to help make us the safest, cleanest, greenest city in America.”
Funds distributed through the program provide for single-year or multi-year grants to municipalities or municipal authorities to assist with the construction of drinking water, sanitary sewer and stormwater projects. Act 54 of 2022 appropriated $205.4 million of American Rescue Plan Act funds to the H2O PA – Water Supply, Sanitary Sewer and Storm Water Projects Program.
“These investments help fund projects that will truly mean improvements for the people in our neighborhoods,” Hayman said. “The commitment we saw today shows how support from the state and federal government can improve the lives of our residents by protecting our drinking water, our waterways and our communities. Together, we can do great things.” ••
