Senator Chris Dodd announced Sunday that he has helped secure $300,000 in a Senate spending bill for the city to make needed improvements to its municipal drinking water system.
According to a press release, the funds will support a proposed project to protect the water filtration plant if the water quality of the primary reservoir becomes compromised. Bristol currently receives its water from a series of reservoirs considered highly vulnerable to accidental or deliberate contamination.
"Water is such an essential element of living our daily lives, so when there is a critical level of risk, it needs to be fixed for the safety of our citizens," Dodd said. "These funds will help Bristol implement an important initiative aimed at protecting people from the potential hazards of contaminated water, and I will fight to make sure funding for it is in any final bill the President signs."
The funds will help the city construct a strategically located bypass piping system so residents can still receive water from a secondary source if the water quality of the primary reservoir has been contaminated, according to Dodd’s office. Currently, any contaminant spill, either by vehicle accident or sabotage, can easily flow into the primary reservoir and into the drinking water treatment plant.
In the case of an emergency contaminant release, the water filtration system would have to be shut down while the plant underwent complete cleanup. This kind of emergency action would shut off the surface water supply to residents, according to the press release.
The funds are included in the VA-HUD Appropriations bill, which was adopted by the Senate Appropriations Committee earlier this week. The funds complement state and local funding already set-aside for this initiative.
Source: EPA
