Eastern Municipal to receive federal funding for infrastructure projects

Eastern Municipal Water District (EMWD) this week received notice that approximately $8 million in federal funding is being advanced to support a trio of critical infrastructure projects that will improve groundwater quality and supply and provide safe and reliable wastewater service throughout its service area.

The Fiscal Year 2023 Interior-EPA Appropriations Bill released last week will help fund those projects through the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s State and Tribal Assistance Grants Program.

Three of EMWD’s Congressional partners – Rep. Mark Takano, Rep. Ken Calvert, and Rep. Darrell Issa – recommended respective projects for inclusion in the Interior-EPA spending bill after receiving project proposals from EMWD for key infrastructure programs that would have lasting, positive impacts on water supply reliability and public health.

The funding and programs were as follows:

• PFAS Remediation: EMWD received $3.45 million in funding for its Well 56 PFAS removal program that was advanced by Rep. Mark Takano. EMWD’s Well 56 has been offline due to PFAS in the groundwater, and this project will support the construction of a treatment facility that will remove the contamination and restore the well to service, further expanding EMWD’s ability to rely on local groundwater supplies, especially during the drought.
• Temecula Valley Wine Country Sewer: Rep. Darrell Issa committed $2 million in funding for the construction of Phase 2 of EMWD’s Wine Country Sewer Project, which will expand wastewater infrastructure and protect groundwater quality as Temecula Valley’s Wine Country continues to see significant growth.
• Quail Valley Septic to Sewer Conversion: Rep. Ken Calvert helped advance $2.5 million in funding to support the next phase of the Quail Valley Septic to Sewer project. Failing septic systems in the economically disadvantaged community in Menifee have resulted in public health risks and groundwater contamination. This project will convert those failing systems to a modernized wastewater collection system.

EMWD worked closely with each of the Congressional representatives and their staffs to identify project needs and to demonstrate the importance of the funding in advancing the needed infrastructure.

“On behalf of our entire team at EMWD, we wish to thank Congress Members Takano, Issa, and Calvert, for their trust in us to leverage federal funding to advance these critical infrastructure projects,” EMWD Board President Phil Paule said. “EMWD has been one of the country’s most successful agencies in securing external funding and responsibly putting it toward projects that directly benefit our customers. EMWD is proud of its ongoing efforts to bring our customers’ tax dollars back into their own communities for their benefit, and we look forward to the successes of each of these projects and thank our Members of Congress for their continued partnership.”