WICOMICO CO. -- The Maryland Board of Public Works approved $4.3 million in funding for safe drinking water and flooding resiliency in Wicomico County, according to officials from the Maryland Department of the Environment.
"This funding demonstrates our commitment to protecting communities from flooding, improving water quality, and ensuring access to safe drinking water, which in turn means higher property values and jobs,” Maryland Department of the Environment Secretary Serena McIlwain said. “This is about modernized infrastructure for Fruitland and Pittsville.”
Roughly $3.4 million of those funds will go towards a multi-phase project looking to reduce flooding in the City of Fruitland, according to state officials. The combination of grant money and loans will reportedly reinforce the city's drainage channels, replace culverts, and restore streams to reduce flooding and water pollution in the area.
The Town of Pittsville will also receive more than $900,000 to upgrade its water treatment plant, which reportedly serves around 1,500 homes. State officials said the project will replace and repair equipment at the facility, which they say is deteriorating with age and struggling to effectively remove iron from the water.
State officials said the total estimated cost for that water treatment plant repair is estimated around $2.7 million. The rest of the funding will be reportedly covered by $968,000 from a Water Supply Assistance grant, $800,000 from a Community Development Block grant, and roughly $32,400 in local funding.
According to officials from Maryland's Department of the Environment, the funding will contribute to cleaner waterways, which will in turn support Maryland's tourist and seafood industries.