MARION — The town will be receiving at least $250,000 from the state to aid in lining one of its Wastewater Treatment Plant lagoons — helping mitigate the cost of the $9.5 million project. 

The town received an email from State Representative Bill Strauss’ office on Feb. 23, which confirmed the funding. 

According to the email, the Department of Environmental Protection “will also continue to monitor whether an additional allocation can be made to the town later in the few months which remain in FY 2021.”

Additionally, the DEP will include the project in its planning for the fiscal year 2022 capital budget, which will ultimately have to be approved by the Executive Office of Administration and Finance. 

“I will, of course, continue to work with A&F to see this through, but it is always essential in these things to have the subject state agency in support of any request for capital funds for use within that agency's overall bond fund allocation,” read Strauss’ email. “This is a big step.”

Town officials thanked Strauss for his help securing the funding at a Feb. 23 Selectmen’s meeting. 

“Just tell him if it wasn’t for covid, we’d give him a hug,” Selectman John Waterman said. 

Town Administrator Jay McGrail added that the town should be receiving the funds for the project within the next 30 days. 

“Every penny will help us, that’s for sure,” McGrail said. 

The project to clean up the lagoon follows a lawsuit from the Buzzards Bay Coalition which claims that runoff from the lagoon was seeping into the ground and into the nearby Aucoot Cove. The town denies this claim.