Funds received to improve drinking water systems

VERMONT - Sen. Patrick Leahy and Gov. Phil Scott announced that Vermont will be receiving $63,041,000 in funding for drinking water systems and wastewater treatment as a result of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act signed by President Biden.
The funds will go into the state’s revolving loan funds for drinking water and wastewater. Those funds are loaned or granted to municipalities for constructing, improving or expanding public drinking water and wastewater systems. This funding is in addition to the state’s annual allocation of approximately $15.8 million for the revolving loan funds, bringing the total federal funding for 2022 to nearly $80 million.
Currently, 200 Vermont communities lack a public wastewater system. Communities across the state have been looking at creative ways to provide wastewater treatment at a scale appropriate for their community. This funding will help them plan and build those systems.
In his role as head of the Appropriations Committee, Leahy advocated for water and wastewater funding as part of the bipartisan infrastructure law.
The EPA has identified three priorities for how states use the funding: addressing PFAs (perfluoroalkyls and polyfluoroalkyls) contamination; assisting historically underserved communities, including rural communities; and replacing lead pipes.
Communities typically receive a combination of low-interest loans and grants from the revolving loan funds to help pay for projects developed locally.