[T]he state of Vermont this month secured nearly $16 million from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to fund improvements to sewage plants and drinking water systems.
State officials say the funds are sorely needed.
Vermont needs water and wastewater improvements simply to replace aging infrastructure, according to a key state environmental official.
“We’ve got one pipe in Rutland that was put in place two years before President Lincoln took office, and that really symbolizes to me the challenges we face statewide,” said Alyssa Schuren, commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation.
The EPA funds will be apportioned between two state revolving fund programs, one for drinking water and one for water treatment systems, control of stormwater runoff pollution, and protection of sensitive bodies of water.
To meet phosphorus pollution limits, the EPA is expected to put in place in January through a total maximum daily load program, the state will need $78 million in the short term and $128 million in the long term. Much of this will pay for wastewater treatment plant improvements.
“Municipalities are faced with so many requirements to meet our environmental laws currently that we need to support them as they adapt and make improvements, and this is one way we can provide that support,” Schuren said.
Even without improvements, Vermont’s water and wastewater infrastructure needs funding to be kept operational. Municipalities in Vermont have infrastructure issues including sewage overflows, leaks in sewer pipes resulting from dry weather, and leaks in drinking water systems, Schuren said.
“I couldn’t overstate the need for investment in infrastructure we have in the state right now, and across the nation,” she said.
Most people don’t think about aging infrastructure as an issue until something goes wrong, Schuren said.
Vermont’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund, administered by the DEC, was awarded $6.8 million from the EPA.
The state’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, also administered by the DEC, received $8.8 million.
Over the life of the the EPA’s Clean Water State Revolving Fund program, the agency has directed about $380 million to the state of Vermont.
The DEC will divide the funds between municipalities in the form of low-interest loans, Schuren said.
