The Missouri Department of Natural Resources has awarded a $70,000 Drinking Water Emerging Contaminant Grant to the city of Salisbury to evaluate the city’s drinking water system.

City Services Superintendent Mike Humphrey says the funds will be used to evaluate improvements for the city’s water system to keep up with DNR requirements. This including remediation, destruction technologies, treatment options, regionalization or alternate water sources for the 40-year-old system. The selected upgrades will enable the water system to continue meeting drinking water quality standards and providing reliable water service.

The department’s Drinking Water Emerging Contaminant Grant program offers funding for qualified communities to assess their system and identify improvements to address emerging contaminants in the drinking water. Emerging contaminants are substances that are known or suspected to pose risks to human health but are not yet regulated under environmental laws.

Humphrey says the city plans to apply for more Drinking Water Emerging Contaminant grants to fund construction work later this year.