SPRINGFIELD – In a report from the office of State Auditor Suzanne Bump, an estimated $17 billion over the next 20 years will be needed to upgrade and make safe municipal drinking water supplies in the Commonwealth.

Bump was in Springfield on Feb. 8 and spoke to this reporter as part of a broadcast on Focus Springfield.

The report was released last month and was the product of the auditor’s Division of Local Mandates. Of the 361 cities and towns in the states, 146 of them participated in a survey concern water system investments and funding sources.

Among the findings was “Massachusetts communities have combined water system spending needs in excess of $17 billion, including $7.24 billion for clean water delivery, $8.99 billion for wastewater treatment and handling, and $1.58 billion for storm water management.”

One of the main recommendations was “Given the continuing decline of overall state aid as a share of local budgets, the Legislature should expand the State Revolving Fund (SRF) as administered by the Clean Water Trust to provide full grants in addition to its current practices of low-interest loans and limited principal forgiveness for cities and towns undertaking water system repairs and enhancements. This finding also supports a recommendation contained in the Massachusetts Water Infrastructure Commission report that the Commonwealth establish a new Trust Fund for water infrastructure to provide at least $50 million annually for the next ten years in direct state aid for local water infrastructure projects. This funding should be provided in addition to, and run concurrent with, current loan and grant programs, and should focus entirely on grants for eligible water infrastructure projects. In addition … priority in allocating these funds should be given to municipalities and regional entities seeking supports for projects and programs that enhance water infrastructure regionalization.”

Bump said the report in this instance plays “an advocacy role on behalf of municipalities and local service districts.” While she noted the Legislators and the Baker Administration is learning more about the report and its findings and recommendations, Bump explained there is an opportunity at the federal level.

“The Democrats and the Republicans as well as the Trump Administration do agree that there needs to be large scale infrastructure investment and they actually are talking about making more money available for water and sewer improvement projects. We started talking to our members of Congress who are going to be involved in the deliberations and Springfield’s Richie Neal is going to be on that list as well so we can use this report to educate our members of Congress how important this kind of funding will be to their constituencies.”

Bump noted, “Municipal governments are under particular strain especially older industrial communities, Springfield … these communities that have shrunk their populations don’t have as much of an ability to assess people for the costs of rebuilding these things. They need help and the federal government is in the best position to do that.”

Bump, an attorney who served as a member of the House of Representatives for eight years in the 1990s and returned to public service as the Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development under Gov. Deval Patrick. In the latter role she said she became very interested in the operations of state government and how decisions were being made. That interest spurred her desire to run for the position of State Auditor. She is in her second four-year term and expects to run for a third term.

She said her office analyzes the proficiency of state programs and whether or not they are following the rules that govern the program. “We ask the questions you would ask as a taxpayer,” she said.

The goal she said “is to build public trust in government.”

Her office completes about 100 audits every year. Most programs receive an audit every three years, but Bump explained one program is being “constantly audited.” The Commonwealth’s Medicaid program – or MassHealth – which takes up more than a third of the state’s $40 billion budget.

“It’s a big complex program and frankly there’s a lot that can go wrong. So we are always seeing how well they are administering the program from several points of view, how well are they determining eligibility – that only eligible people are getting the benefits – how efficiently are they handling claims, what kind of oversight are they providing over the doctors and the dentist that are in the program,” she said.

In the course of a year there may be six to eight audits on MassHealth alone, she added.

When asked if she ever feels like an “outsider looking in,” Bump laughed and said, “Sometimes I’ve had to deal with frankly Democratic colleagues who say, “Gee Suzanne why do you want to lay bare these programs and their flaws, particularly when it concerns a social program?’”

She continued, “For me it’s about building public confidence.”