The City of Rockville has been awarded $2.68 million in federal funds for three infrastructure projects focused on improving drinking water safety and the wastewater system.
The funding will support a lead service line inventory investigation ($500,000), replacement of aging Orangeburg sewer laterals ($1.09 million) and rehabilitation of the city’s wastewater collection system ($1.09 million).
Orangeburg pipes, installed primarily in the mid-20th century, are prone to deterioration and failure. Replacing the pipes reduces the risk of sewage backups, overflows and ground contamination, according to a City of Rockville statement.
The Wastewater Collection System project will be used to rehabilitate more than 54,000 linear feet of aging wastewater pipes in southeast Rockville. The work is intended to prevent sewage backups that can damage private property, threaten public health and pollute local waterways.
The remaining $500,000 will fund a lead service line inventory investigation to identify more than 8,000 water service lines with unknown materials. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency lead and copper rule revisions require that all water service providers, including Rockville, prepare an inventory of materials used in water service line pipes on both public and private property, according to city officials.
As part of the project, Rockville authorities are encouraging its residents with unknown service line materials to visit rockvillemd.gov/lcrr to complete a service line inventory survey for their home.
The grant request was submitted by U.S. Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks and U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin.
“We know pipes, especially those that are decades old, are prone to deterioration and failure,” Alsobrooks said in a statement. “This funding will replace pipes in Rockville, reduce risks and allow the city to keep thriving,” Alsobrooks said.
Van Hollen noted that safe drinking water and reliable sewer systems are fundamental needs for our communities.
“That’s why we worked to secure over $2.5 million in direct federal funding to help Rockville modernize aging sewer lines and identify potential hazards posed by existing pipes,” said Van Hollen.
