BALTIMORE, MD (March 28, 2007)- The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) joins the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other environmental leaders today in recognizing the Town of Boonsboro, Md., for efficiently using federal funding to construct a regional water treatment system to benefit both Boonsboro and Keedysville.

MDE helped to broker an agreement between Boonsboro and neighboring Keedysville to share the financing and construction of a regional water treatment system, which benefits both communities. Water filtration plants were constructed in both communities and interconnected with a 12-inch water line. The project will serve 3,141 residents and will eliminate a former risk of contamination by surface water.

“The Boonsboro/Keedysville project highlights some of MDE’s key goals, coordination and prioritization of resources are reflective of our core mission,” said MDE Secretary Shari T. Wilson. “The project went beyond the typical project, showing exceptional creativity and dedication to environmental protection. The Town of Boonsboro demonstrated leadership, innovation and exemplified a concerted effort to protect public health.”

MDE selected Boonsboro to receive EPA’s 2006 Award for Sustainable Public Health Protection. The award is presented to communities that most effectively and efficiently use funding from the EPA’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) program.

“The Town of Boonsboro has set an excellent example of regional cooperation in meeting the challenges of providing high quality drinking water,” said Donald S. Welsh, administrator for EPA’s mid Atlantic region.

The DWSRF program is an innovative method of financing drinking water projects that protect public health and support the Safe Drinking Water Act. EPA provides a grant to each state, and states use the funds to provide low interest loans for drinking water projects. In Maryland, the program is managed by MDE.

For information on EPA’s DWSRF Awards for Sustainable Public Health Protection, visit: www.epa.gov/safewater/dwsrf/pdfs/brochure_dwsrf_awardsforpublichealth.pdf.

Editor's Note

A Number Of Digital Images From This Event Are Available. Please Contact MDE’s Office Of Communications.

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