PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: DATE
Contact: Chris Hunter, 401-487-7771
R.I. Infrastructure Bank Awards $1.7 Million To Chariho, Foster & Scituate Public
Schools To Address PFAS
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank, the state’s central hub for financing infrastructure
improvements for municipalities, businesses, and homeowners, has awarded a total of $1,714,928 in
Emerging Contaminants grants to the Chariho, Foster, and Scituate Public School districts for water
treatment upgrades to remove per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) from their small drinking water systems.
Grant funding was made available through the EPA’s Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged
Communities fund, designed specifically for small communities that lack the capacity to otherwise
complete remediation projects.
Chariho Regional School District - $615,000 - PFAS Remediation Work at Charlestown
Elementary School
Foster School Department - $674,928 - New Well, Pump House, and PFAS Treatment at Captain
Isaac Paine Elementary School
Scituate Public Schools - $425,000 - PFAS Treatment Upgrades at North Scituate Elementary
School
“Emerging contaminants, including PFAS, are being detected in more and more drinking water sources
across Rhode Island, including in many small water providers that lack the financial resources to invest in
needed treatment upgrades,” said William Fazioli, Executive Director of Rhode Island Infrastructure
Bank. “These Emerging Contaminants grants will provide the Chariho, Foster, and Scituate Public School
districts, which collectively serve approximately 1,250 students and faculty throughout the school
year, the funding they need to upgrade their drinking water systems to remove PFAS.”
“Providing safe drinking water for our students, teachers, and staff is absolutely essential,” said Jason
Martin, Director of Operations at the Scituate School Department. “That is why when we learned of
elevated PFAS levels in our well water system, we immediately began working on a solution. We want to
thank Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank and the Rhode Island Department of Health for working with us
to secure this grant funding so we can upgrade our treatment process to remove PFAS from our drinking
water.”
“All Rhode Islanders deserve access to drinking water that is healthy and safe,” said Jerry Larkin, MD, the
Director of the Rhode Island Department of Health Utpala Bandy, MD, MPH. “Funding opportunities like
this are key to minimizing exposure to contaminants like PFAS in smaller water systems in Rhode Island.”
Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Emerging Contaminants State Revolving Fund program and
the Emerging Contaminants–Small and Disadvantaged Communities Grant program, Rhode Island
Infrastructure Bank has more than $30 million in grant funding available for local water suppliers to
address emerging contaminants like PFAS.
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About the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank
Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank is Rhode Island’s central hub for financing infrastructure improvements
for municipalities, businesses, and homeowners. We leverage capital in a revolving fund to offer
innovative financing for an array of infrastructure-based projects including water and wastewater, road
and bridge, energy efficiency and renewable energy, and brownfield remediation. These quality-of-life
projects improve the State’s infrastructure, create jobs, promote economic development, and enhance
the environment. www.riib.org – Facebook: @RIinfrastructure – Twitter: @RI_InfraBank