By Brent Addleman | The Center Square

Federal funding for wastewater pretreatment projects is now available in Vermont.

The Department of Environmental Conservation has earmarked $3.6 million in American Rescue Plan Act dollars, Gov. Phil Scott said, for municipalities with projects designed to upgrade wastewater pretreatment infrastructure and capacity.

“Investing in municipal wastewater infrastructure opens up opportunities for future community development and encourages industry innovation,” the fourth-term, seventh-year Republican governor said in a statement. “ARPA funding continues to have significant impacts throughout Vermont, for residents, municipalities, and businesses.”

According to a release, the funding mandates dollars be used for projects that protect the health and safety of workers at treatment facilities and, at the same time, improve clean water and environmental outcomes leading to future growth.

“Local industrial businesses also have a chance to have a positive impact on the environment,” Conservation Commissioner John Beling said in a statement. “By leveraging ARPA dollars and partnering with their municipality, a private business can develop a pretreatment system to remove or reduce the amount of industrial waste that enters a wastewater treatment facility and, ultimately, that enters the environment.”

According to a release, municipalities can apply for funding through July 21. Funding can be used for creating and conducting surveys of industrial users; developing pollution limits for industry and business; improving a sewer use ordinance; and joining a private partnership with an entity in the state to improve facilities used for wastewater pretreatment.

According to a release, private entities must partner with the local municipalities and can be a business, nonprofit groups, or industrial wastewater producers.

“We received applications for a wide variety of projects in the first round of ARPA funding,” department environmental analyst Ashley Hellman said in a statement. “This funding provides an exciting opportunity for many different types of private entities, including breweries, metal finishers, and dairies.”

To date this year, according to a release, $2.8 million has been allocated through the department to five businesses and a pair of municipalities in Vermont. The department plans to contact awardees by Sept. 29.