Washington (December 7, 2022) – Today, Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Clean Air, Climate and Nuclear Safety, and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) celebrated the release of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), legislation that includes investments in Massachusetts water resource and infrastructure projects.

“Massachusetts families shouldn’t have to fear that their neighborhood may someday flood, or that the infrastructure delivering them safe, clean drinking water could run dry or run amok,” said Senator Markey. “I’m proud to have helped secure major investment to ensure frontline communities across the Commonwealth can weather the impacts of climate change and to safeguard water for generations to come.” 

“I’m glad that the Water Resources Development Act includes critical funding for frontline communities across Massachusetts to address issues like flood prevention and coastal management,” said Senator Warren. “I’ll keep fighting so that communities facing the effects of climate change get the resources they need to manage water and infrastructure challenges.”

The Senators fought to secure critical provisions in WRDA to benefit Massachusetts communities, including:

1. Authorizing a new U.S. Army Corps feasibility study on flood mitigation and infrastructure for the Ten Mile River in the town of North Attleboro,
2. Expediting Army Corps feasibility studies of flood hazard mitigation, watershed management and coastal vulnerability studies for communities in the North Shore, North Adams, Chelsea Creek, Wellfleet, Truro, and Chatham; and,
3. Ensuring that the town of Sandwich has a zero cost share for dredging off of Scusset Beach and the nourishment of its shoreline.

Senators Markey and Warren have long worked to ensure bipartisan water resource and infrastructure legislation includes investments for Massachusetts. In 2016, the two lawmakers secured provisions that increased funding and resource opportunities for the Commonwealth and directly supported water resource and infrastructure projects in Boston and coastal communities along the Massachusetts shoreline. In 2021, the Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act included Senator Markey’s provisions to increase funding for the federal Assistance for Small and Disadvantaged Communities Program to $510 million over five years, supporting the program’s efforts in guaranteeing clean drinking water in frontline communities, and to expand an existing grant program so more municipalities could access federal funds to help develop systems to notify communities of sewer overflows.

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