Harris Announces $7.1 Million in Water and Environmental Grants in Dorchester and Talbot County

WASHINGTON, DC: Rep. Andy Harris, M.D. (MD-01) announced the award of a $5,831,000 grant for the towns of Secretary and East New Market in Dorchester County and $1,278,000 for Talbot County. The grants were awarded through the Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant Program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Rural Development.

According to USDA, the grant in Dorchester County "will be used to upgrade the Twin Cities' wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) for enhanced nutrient removal. This upgrade will correct a health and sanitary problem at the existing treatment plant due to its deteriorating condition and inability to meet upcoming permit effluent limitations. The WWTP is shared by the towns of Secretary and East New Market located in Dorchester County, Md."

USDA specified that the grant in Talbot County "will be used to provide additional funding to improve the St. Michaels wastewater collection system. The project will replace part of the sewer collection system and rehabilitate sections of the sewer system where the structural integrity of the pipe remains in St. Michaels."

Rep. Andy Harris made the following statement:

"As a member of the Agriculture Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations, I applaud the award of these federal grants in Dorchester County and Talbot County. Clean water is essential to public health and a healthy Chesapeake Bay, and as a physician I understand how important these projects are to our families and rural communities on the Eastern Shore. These federal investments help sustain our rural towns and our way of life, and I will continue to support common-sense projects that protect and improve water quality on the Eastern Shore."

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