EEA Secretary Rebecca Tepper meets with Kings Beach Steering Committee
On May 30, the Kings Beach Steering Committee met with Secretary Rebecca Tepper of the MA Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) to present the UV disinfection solution to the Office and connect the project to funding sources. During the meeting, the Committee urged the Healey-Driscoll administration to prioritize this project as an environmental justice issue.
The Kings Beach Steering Committee meets with Secretary Tepper and EEA Staff
Senator Brendan Crighton began the meeting by sharing the history of King’s Beach and providing a brief overview of Lynn and Swampscott’s ongoing IDDE efforts. Mayor Jarod Nicholson followed to highlight the collaborative effort across jurisdictions represented by the King’s Beach Steering Committee. Nicholson explained how UV Light Disinfection was selected for immediate implementation due to being the most cost-effective and time-efficient method of reducing the public health risks associated with constant bacterial discharges at King's Beach.
This Evaluation and Scoring Ranking graphic was created by Kleinfelder and displays how UV treatment was chosen as the most effective solution based on weighted criteria chosen by the Committee.
Conceptual UV Disinfection Facility Rendering by Kleinfelder
Secretary Tepper and Undersecretary for Environment Stephanie Cooper suggested the City of Lynn and Swampscott seek State Revolving Funds (SRFs) to assist in funding this project. However, both Lynn and Swampscott agreed SRFs would not be the best solution in funding, as they are loans and will be a financial burden to both communities. In addition, Secretary Tepper and Undersecretary Cooper requested documents related to the technical analysis of the UV treatment alternative, which were shared after the meeting.
Undersecretary Cooper offered a time to meet with the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) regarding the UV treatment alternative, which the committee agreed to. DEP has been an active participant in the Steering Committee’s efforts early on and has assisted Kleinfelder in guiding and advising on the process of determining alternatives, the UV alternative’s design, and was supportive of the committee’s recommendations.
During the time of the meeting, Secretary Tepper did not commit to financial assistance or specific funding opportunities, until documents are shared. The Secretary was impressed by the collaboration across multiple stakeholders and agreed that this appeared to be a unique problem that would require a custom funding solution. The Secretary acknowledged that the Committee’s estimate of $25 Million for the facility was not large in relation other to state-level projects.
The Committee agreed to work further with Undersecretary Cooper and DEP to advance the UV disinfection solution and explore sources of funding. The Committee will also work with the federal delegation to access federal funding for the project.