STERLING — The town has received a $5 million state grant for a new water-filtration plant, Selectman Jack Joslyn said in a statement carried Tuesday morning by WINY Radio. He said the project is intended to reduce high manganese levels in the municipal water system.
Joslyn described the funding as a major step toward a project the town has been developing for some time. He said the grant would allow Sterling to move forward without putting the entire project cost on residents, but did not provide a total project price or a breakdown of any remaining local share.
The announcement marks a reported funding milestone rather than completion of the plant. Joslyn said work remains before it is built and running. His statement did not identify a construction start, contractor, operating date or the number of water customers served.
Official Board of Selectmen minutes from September 2 show the earlier stage of the effort. Revenue Collector Judith Stumpo told the board that Sterling was awaiting the state mechanism to distribute up to approximately $5 million for the filtration system. The town had received two responses to its request for engineering and construction-oversight qualifications and was checking with the state about the procurement requirements.
Those September minutes recorded a goal of having the plant constructed by the end of December 2028. That was a planning goal stated at the September meeting; Tuesday's announcement did not confirm a current completion deadline or say that construction has begun.
Joslyn credited Stumpo for work on the grant application. The minutes identify her as the revenue collector and document her role in the project's procurement and funding discussions.
This report was prepared from the full text of WINY's RSS-provided caption carrying Joslyn's statement and the town's published September minutes. Eastern CT News did not obtain a separate current state award document, inspect the water system or verify current sampling results. The funding announcement does not establish that manganese levels have already changed or that earlier water-use precautions have ended.
Photo: Sterling Town Hall in an October 4, 2019 file photograph by Michael Herrick, published by The Historical Marker Database. It shows the municipal agency pursuing the project, not the proposed filtration plant or current construction.