EPA Recognizes Rhode Island Drinking Water Project for Excellence and Innovation

Rhode Island - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced this week that a drinking water infrastructure consolidation project at the Scituate Housing Authority's Rockland Oaks Senior Housing Community, Scituate High School, and Scituate Middle School was one of the recipients of its annual, prestigious Excellence in System Partnerships awards.

Supported by the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) and the Rhode Island

Infrastructure Bank (RIIB) through a $1,662,100 Drinking Water State Revolving Fund loan with 100% principal forgiveness, the project resulted in the connection of the Rockland Oaks Senior Housing Community to the well-based drinking water system used by Scituate's middle and high schools.

The Rockland Oaks Senior Housing Community houses 23 elderly residents. For several years before this project's completion in late 2025, the facility operated an aging system with multiple maximum contaminant level exceedances, as well as multiple pressure loss incidents that resulted in precautionary boil water notices. Work to get the Rockland Oaks Senior Housing Community connected to a new water source was a complex water engineering, compliance, and financing project that involved close coordination between RIDOH, RIIB, the EPA, the Scituate School Department, and multiple engineering firms. The water system would not have been able to incur the debt sufficient to finance this project without the fully forgiven loan.

"Across the country, states are putting State Revolving Fund resources to work in ways that deliver real, lasting benefits for communities by modernizing aging systems, strengthening resilience, and ensuring families can rely on safe, clean water every day," said Jess Kramer, EPA Assistant Administrator for Water. "These projects show that when we pair federal investment with state leadership, we can protect human health, support local economies, and reach communities that have too often been left behind."

"We are working every day to create a healthier Rhode Island. Ensuring that people have drinking water that is healthy and safe is an important part of that work," said Governor Dan McKee. "We are thankful to the EPA for their partnership on this project, as well as all the state and local partners who made this effort an enormous success."

"All Rhode Islanders deserve access to drinking water that is healthy and safe," said Director of Health Jerry Larkin, MD. "The expertise on our Drinking Water Quality team at RIDOH, and the tremendous collaboration with partners throughout the state and at the federal level, helped make this vision a reality for the residents of the Rockland Oaks Senior Housing Community."

"This recognition from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency highlights the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank's ability to bring partners together and deliver smart, targeted financing solutions for a wide array of projects that improve the quality of life for Rhode Islanders," said Bill Fazioli, the Executive Director of RIIB. "At Rockland Oaks, that meant using a fully forgiven loan to make it possible for 23 elderly residents who had faced years of unsafe and unreliable water to now have access to clean, dependable drinking water. We're proud of our work with the Rhode Island Department of Health and our local partners on this project to deliver safe, clean water to the residents of Rockland Oaks."

The EPA's Excellence in System Partnerships award is part of its AQUARIUS program, which celebrates drinking water projects financed in part by the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund that are innovative, resilient, and protect public health. The Drinking Water State Revolving Fund is a federal-state partnership to assist public water systems in ensuring safe drinking water by providing a financing mechanism for infrastructure projects. While 22 projects carried out by state or local governments and drinking water utilities were recognized by the 2026 AQUARIUS program, the Rhode Island project was one of five that were highlighted by EPA and deemed exceptional for its benefits to public health.