Construction and operation of the system are designed not to burden Waitsfield taxpayers. Instead, users will share the cost after deducting grants. The Town is actively pursuing federal and state grants and a federal loan to be repaid through affordable user rates.

Planning and design have been ongoing since 2021, transitioning into Final Design in January 2024. State and federal sources have funded all work to date (~$400k) at no cost to taxpayers.

On 6/11/24, the voters of the Town of Waitsfield passed a bond vote for the Community Wastewater Project by a margin of 3:1 (415 yes to 140 no). This served as a major project milestone, permitting the pursuit of federal and state funding to proceed with the project.

Through the summer of 2024, the project progressed on various fronts, moving into the final design phase and working through various design elements, property owner discussions, permitting, funding, and more. The overall project design has stayed consistent: wastewater collection serving Irasville & Waitsfield Village with a multi-stage treatment and in-ground disposal of 89k gallons per day (GPD) at the town-owned Munn site.

The Town of Waitsfield and DuBois & King (D&K) executed WCWP Engineering Services Agreement (ESA) Amendment #3 on 8/29/24, which brings the project through Final Design. The project engineer’s tasks included in this phase incorporate project management, topographic survey, environmental field work, geotechnical assessment, a site-specific wastewater loading test, a basis for the final design document, SBR manufacturer preselection, process and site civil design, wastewater collection system design, design of mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems, structural design, permitting/easements, technical specifications, contract documents, an opinion of probably construction costs and a project cost summary, coordination, and attendance at various meetings.

American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Village Water & Wastewater (VWWW) Initiative Funding

In mid-September 2024, The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation (VT DEC) notified the town of Waitsfield that it had been awarded $2,508,085 in State American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Village Water & Wastewater (VWWW) Initiative funding. The town’s selection for this award is partly due to the project’s status on the 2025 Project Priority List. This grant will pay for the entirety of the project’s final design activities through biddable contract documents (ESA Amendment #3) and be available for construction. All funding must be spent by 9/30/26.

Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) Intended Use Plan (IUP)

VT DEC finalized the FFY24/SFY25 Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) Intended Use Plan (IUP) on 8/22/24 (link). The IUP explains how the CWSRF funding capitalization grants provided by the federal government will be used to support the CWSRF program, identifying program decisions to meet requirements set by Congress in each year's capitalization grants and addressing state programmatic priorities. The IUP addresses critical program details, including discussions of Project Priority Lists and subsidies, loan forgiveness, and loan terms. The IUP's 2025 Pollution Control Priority and Planning List (aka, the Project Priority List, or PPL) lists Waitsfield's project in the fundable range, including grant eligibility for $5,251,931 from the Pollution Control Grant program. The project's high ranking and eligibility result from the Town of Waitsfield and MRVPD's diligent efforts in meeting various funding program priorities over the past year, including affordability criteria (i.e., Median Household Income, MHI, determination).

Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) Applications

Vermont's two senators, Sanders and Welch, accepted and put forward two Congressional Discretionary Spending requests for consideration in the FY25 Appropriations bill supporting the Waitsfield Community Wastewater Project. Unfortunately, the Senate Appropriations Committee did not approve all the proposals, and ours did not make the final cut.

Following this decision, Wastewater Project Team members met with Senator Sanders' staff to discuss Waitsfield's application and strategize the next steps. Sanders' staff shared that the Senator was very impressed with Waitsfield's proposal and that the lack of funding had nothing to do with the quality of the town's application or its merits. Waitsfield was encouraged to apply again next year. Further, he identified additional funding avenues and offered letters of support to pursue other funding options.

• Munn Site Wastewater Loading Test
• Topographic Surveying, Environmental, & Cultural Resources Field Work
• Continue Priority Property Owner Outreach
• Easement Recommendations
• USDA RD Application
• Regional Project Priority List
• Update WCWP content on the Town Website

To learn more about these next steps, visit the page linked below.

If you have questions or comments about the Waitsfield Wastewater Planning Project, please email the Wastewater Project Team at wastewateradmin@ gmavt.net or call (802) 496-2218 ext. 4.