The Springfield Water and Sewer Commission is pleased to announce it has received $4.47 million in loan forgiveness from the Massachusetts Clean Water Trust Drinking Water Revolving Fund for its new West Parish Water Treatment Plant.
The loan forgiveness is tied to a $15,000,000 competitive low-interest loan awarded to the Commission for the project in 2023, when it was the top-ranked drinking water project on the Clean Water Trust’s 2023 Intended Use Plan. The loan forgiveness represents 29.8% of the $15,000,000 loan, and will be awarded upon completion of the project in 2028.
“We are grateful to the Massachusetts Clean Water Trust for their partnership and support of this regionally critical project,” said Commission Executive Director Josh Schimmel. “The Commission has worked continuously to secure the lowest-cost financing and grant funding whenever possible for this project in order to reduce the burden on ratepayers, and reflects our sound financial management. We are excited to deliver a modern 21st century drinking water treatment plant for the region, which will safeguard public health, economic development, and quality of life for decades to come.”
The Commission previously received $5.9 million in loan forgiveness from the Clean Water Trust for Phase 1 of the project which included construction of a new Backwash Facility, which was completed in 2023.
In October the Commission broke ground on the new West Parish Water Treatment Plant, with construction scheduled to ramp up over 2025. A $4.6 million earmark secured by Senator Edward J. Markey and Senator Elizabeth Warren was also announced at the time of the groundbreaking. Additional financing for the project comes from the highly competitive U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) Program. Information and updates on the new plant can be found at newwestparish.com.