Pocomoke City still awaiting grant funding to address water quality concerns

POCOMOKE CITY, Md. – In Pocomoke, city officials are weighing in on what residents are calling a water crisis in the area.

Discoloration, a bleach smell, and outdated pipes are just some of those concerns.

Last winter a solution was on the horizon, as the city was awarded $1.4 million in grant funding to kick start infrastructure projects with a focus on improving water quality.

Funding comes from a partnership between the Maryland Department of Environment and Housing and Maryland Department of Community Development received under the Water Infrastructure Improvement for the Nation (WIIN) Act for disadvantaged communities.

We sat down with City Manager Jeremy Mason who says they have not received the money yet.

He says the grant still has a lengthy approval process before it will touch ground and address residents’ concerns. “All the folks here like myself who are residents of Pocomoke all have known about these problems for a long time and we’re just now getting where we’re getting the funding to be able to take on these big projects,” Mason said.

“We certainly appreciate our resident’s patience, understanding, and we hope to get this problem fixed as soon as possible.”

Mason also tells us the city is still awaiting bid approvals for contractors by the grantors.

He says once that’s all finalized, construction is expected to get underway in late 2023.