WARWICK, R.I. (WPRI) — The city of Warwick will soon be modernizing its wastewater infrastructure thanks to $4.37 million in federal funding.

The funding, awarded to the Warwick Sewer Authority, will allow the city to make three significant upgrades to its wastewater treatment facilities.

The first $1.44 million earmark will support the rehabilitation and relining of a force main at Oakland Beach, while another $2.4 will fund the construction of a new flood-resistant pump station. The remaining $536,000 will be used to improve and expand the capacity of the Apponaug pump station, which provides service for nearly 1,400 sewer connections.

“Warwick is an old city with aging infrastructure that needs to be addressed,” Warwick Mayor Frank Picozzi said. “This will not only help the quality of life here in our city, it will help keep our waters and environment cleaner.”

Sen. Jack Reed described the funding as a “strategic, multi-pronged investment.”

“These improvements to Warwick’s water infrastructure will help to strengthen public health, boost water quality and ensure cleaner beaches and a healthier environment,” Reed said.

Warwick Sewer Authority Executive Director Betty Anne Rogers said the current wastewater system at Oakland Beach is 40 years old.

“This is going to help us tremendously in making sure the infrastructure is sound,” she said.

Rogers said the city will be hiring additional engineers to work on the upgrades. She expects them to be completed by 2025.

The Warwick Sewer Authority was created in 1962 and covers nearly 400 miles of sanitary sewer lines and 49 sewage pump stations.