BY STEFANIE BOWMANN, Eastern Shore Post —
The town of Chincoteague is pursuing an alternative method of funding its well relocation project.
Town Manager Mike Tolbert reported that on May 2, Chincoteague submitted an application to the Virginia Department of Health for an Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities grant.
If approved, the noncompetitive grant will be worth more than $11 million and cover the costs of the engineering design of a new well field, including test and production wells, and constructing water transmission structures.
The new wells will be dug on the Matthews property that the town owns on the south end of the Wallops Island airport.
Engineers from the NASA Wallops Flight Facility and grant writers from the University of Maryland assisted with the application process, Tolbert said.
The purpose of the state grant program is to assist small or disadvantaged communities in addressing emerging contaminants like poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, in drinking water.
To date, attempts also have been made to acquire federal funding for the well project:
n U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans announced in February the introduction of a bill to authorize NASA to reimburse the town for the project. U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine introduced a companion bill in the Senate.
n Former U.S. Rep. Elaine Luria in 2022 introduced a bill to authorize up to $14 million for the project, but it did not advance beyond the committee stage.
PFAs were first detected in Chincoteague’s shallow wells, located on Wallops Flight Facility property, in 2017.
The presence of the PFAs was attributed to the firefighting foam used at NASA decades ago for extinguishing aircraft fires and training firefighters.
A temporary solution was implemented in 2021, when a water filtration plant began operating, reducing the PFAs to nearly undetectable levels.
Port Authority grants
Tolbert also reported on the town’s third unsuccessful attempt to acquire funding from the Virginia Port Authority for a floating dock at Robert Reed Park.
The Virginia Port Authority awards $1 million in grants annually for projects that promote economic activity.
The intent behind Chincoteague’s proposed floating dock is to allow easy docking for visiting boaters and promote downtown commerce, Tolbert said.
Two Eastern Shore localities received funding: Saxis received $48,700 for electrical upgrades at its town marina and Northampton County received $37,500 for bulkhead repair and construction at the Oyster marina.
The majority of this year’s funding, $850,000, was given to Newport News, Tolbert noted.
Sewer project update
The town manager said sewer project contractor Underground Connections, of Onancock, has billed Chincoteague for 72% of the job.
“He is not 72% done … he is actually ahead of that number and will finish up by Memorial Day, as promised,” Tolbert said.
He added that the bores for the main sewer line are complete, and existing sewer customers will be connected under a separate contract this fall.
