Over the past year and a half, the Wareham Water Department has secured nearly $270,000 of grants, which have helped improve water quality and keep costs low, according to the Wareham Water Department Superintendent.

Superintendent Andrew Reid said that the latest grant, which came courtesy of energy company Eversource, means the department has earned close to $1.4 million over the past 15 years for system upgrades, studies and public outreach.

“The message is: the district is actively looking for funding mechanisms to keep the water good and available at a reasonable rate,” said Reid.

The Eversource grants – one for $10,000 and a second for $96,000 – were awarded to assess the department’s usage and then upgrade pumps to make them more energy efficient, respectively.

Reid credited Eversource’s Steve Grattan for advocating on behalf of the department.

“Eversource doesn’t usually award grants that high, but because of the needs here in town they elected to do a higher match,” said Reid.

In 2016, the department earned two grants from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, each for $40,000. Those funds were used to draft and then implement an “asset management plan.”

Reid said the plan helps the department provide service by prioritizing where and when infrastructure repairs should be made. The department also earned a $116,500 grant from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection for water audits and a public outreach campaign.

Reid credited that grant with helping to lower the amount of water lost in the system to under 10 percent, which is a state mandated goal, thanks to the audit.

“Historically, we’ve had unaccounted for water ranging from 15 to 20 percent, which makes our water more expensive,” said Reid. “We were pumping and treating more water.”

Reid credited the department’s technical consultant, Kleinfelder, Inc., for assisting in the grant process over the past 15 years. The funds, Reid said, should go a long way towards managing the District’s infrastructure and water quality.

“The motto the district has, and has had for a long time, is ‘the best quality at the most reasonable price,’ and we’re trying to stick to that,” said Reid. “I think over the next two to four years some substantial changes are coming.”