Montpelier, Vt. – Governor Phil Scott and the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today announced that nearly $30 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, appropriated for the village water and wastewater (VWWW) initiative, has now been committed to towns across the state.
“Investing in water, sewer and stormwater initiatives is key to revitalizing communities and spurring economic growth ,” said Governor Phil Scott. “When you have the needed infrastructure, you can build more housing and open up more opportunities for businesses to grow. That’s why securing this funding was such an important priority for my team, and I’m grateful to our partners for their work.”
“Investing in village water and wastewater infrastructure is good for both our environment and the economy,” said Secretary Julie Moore. “Investments like this can be transformative for our rural communities, helping support vibrant communities and climate-friendly land-use, and it’s exactly the type of initiative we should be pursing with the opportunity this one-time federal funding provides.”
The VWWW Initiative will help municipalities develop new public drinking water systems and community wastewater disposal systems where this critical infrastructure is lacking. This grant funding will bridge the affordability gap, protect public health, increase affordable housing, support economic development, and incentivize compact growth in Vermont’s designated villages and neighborhoods.
This recent round of award funding will go towards helping a total of 12 villages: 11 for wastewater and one for drinking water.
These ARPA funds will be used in a “co-funding” model with the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds, USDA - Rural Development support, Northern Border Regional Commission support, or locally available funding. Co-funding means that ARPA funding will be used to complement other funding sources to achieve affordability for the users of the system. The assistance will be primarily in the form of grants, and pending eligibility determination, may include support for planning, design, land purchase, or construction of active projects.
For more information about ARPA funds visit our website on Village Water and Wastewater Initiative.
A list of fund recipients can be found below:
- Town of Montgomery Center & Village New Wastewater Facility & Town of Montgomery Village New Wastewater Facility - $2,217,000
- South Londonderry Village Community Wastewater System - $3,968,331
- Grafton Village Wastewater Project - $3,968,331
- Greensboro Village Wastewater - $3,968,331
- North Londonderry Village Community Wastewater System - $3,968,331
- Wolcott Village Decentralized Wastewater Project - $2,565,000
- Highgate Community Wastewater - $172,719
- Moretown Village Community Wastewater - $3,325,000
- West Burke Village Community Wastewater - $3,968,331
- Killington Drinking Water System - $2,300,000
- South Hero Community Wastewater - $1,464,881