More than $14.5 million awarded for drinking water, wastewater and other projects

Concord, NH – The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) announced today that Governor Chris Sununu and the Executive Council, at recent meetings, have approved multiple projects, in a combination of grant and loan funds, for needed drinking water and wastewater system improvements, totaling more than $14.5 million. NHDES provided the funding through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) and the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF). NHDES has offered over $166 million in ARPA grant funding for more than 310 projects, which are in the process of finalizing their proposals to NHDES for submission to the Governor and Executive Council for approval. More information about the ARPA-related projects that have recently been approved is below:

Alphabetical list of cities, towns, or entities receiving funds:

Allenstown – Clean Water Infrastructure

• ARPA grant: $225,000
• Local funds: $525,000
• Total project cost: $750,000

Allenstown, Catamount Hill Cooperative, Inc. - Disadvantaged ARPA Grant

• ARPA grant: $1,693,800
• Total project cost: $1,693,800

Claremont – Clean Water Infrastructure

• ARPA grant: $1,355,700
• CWSRF loan: $3,163,300
• Total project cost: $4,519,000

Danville, Rock Rimmon Cooperative, Inc. – Disadvantaged ARPA Grant

• ARPA grant: $1,463,772
• Total project cost: $1,463,772

Epping – Clean Water Planning

• ARPA grant: $100,000
• Total project cost: $100,000

Hooksett – Clean Water Infrastructure

• ARPA grant: $450,000
• CWSRF loan: $1,050,000
• Total project cost: $1,050,000

Lebanon – Clean Water Infrastructure

• ARPA grant: $440,859
• CWSRF loan: $1,028,673
• Total project cost: $1,469,532

North Conway Water Precinct - Clean Water Infrastructure

• ARPA grant: $997,000
• CWSRF loan: $2,093,000
• Total project cost: $3,090,000

Plymouth Village Water and Sewer District – Clean Water Planning Grant

• ARPA grant: $100,000
• Total project cost: $100,000

Swanzey – Stormwater Infrastructure and Planning:

• ARPA grant: $163,750
• CWSRF loan: $1148,750
• Total project cost: $312,500

Background:
The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) is a $1.9 trillion economic stimulus bill to speed up the United States’ recovery from the economic health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant recession. The Act defines eligible uses of the state and local funding, including responding to public health emergencies, responding to workers performing essential work during the COVID-19 emergency, providing revenue relief to states and making investments in water, sewer and broadband infrastructure.  

The Clean Water SRF - Title VI of the 1987 amendments to the Clean Water Act established the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF), which provides low-cost financial assistance for planning, design and construction projects to communities, nonprofits, and other local government entities for both wastewater and stormwater infrastructure projects and other water pollution control activities (nonpoint source, watershed protection or restoration, and estuary management). Projects commonly funded by the CWSRF program include wastewater treatment facility upgrades, upgrades/replacement of collection systems and pumping stations, stormwater utility improvements, asset management, planning, and energy audit measure implementation.

For more information regarding infrastructure funding programs such as ARPA and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) being administered by NHDES, visit the NHDES Infrastructure Funding website.

For more information, please contact Ted Diers, NHDES Assistant Water Division Director, at theodore.e.diers@des.nh.gov and (603) 271-2951.