4/26/23
NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) announced 102 grants totaling $232,709,981 from the state’s American Rescue Plan (ARP) fund, part of which TDEC is administering in the form of drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure grants. Since August, TDEC has awarded and announced $634,404,544 in grant funds through ARP programming.
Of the 102 grants announced today, 17 are collaborative grants and 85 are non-collaborative grants. Collaborative grants involve multiple entities (cities, counties, or water utilities) partnering on projects to work toward a shared purpose. The awards announced today include funding for 132 individual drinking waters, wastewater, and/or stormwater infrastructure projects.
Tennessee received $3.725 billion from the ARP, and the state’s Financial Stimulus Accountability Group dedicated $1.35 billion of those funds to TDEC to support water projects in communities throughout Tennessee. Of the $1.35 billion, approximately $1 billion was designated for non-competitive formula-based grants offered to counties and eligible cities to address critical system’s needs. Those include developing Asset Management Plans, addressing significant non-compliance, updating aging infrastructure, mitigating water loss for drinking water systems, and reducing inflow and infiltration for wastewater systems.
The grants announced are part of the $1 billion non-competitive grant program. The remaining funds ($269 million) will go to state-initiated projects and competitive grants.
Grants announced include a grant for the City of Chapel Hill and Marshall County:
City of Chapel Hill – $969,173
The City of Chapel Hill will use ARP funds to address multiple critical needs and a State mandated Director’s Order. Projects will focus on asset management, water loss, modernization, and compliance. Development of an Asset Management Plan will help the city determine the life of aging wastewater infrastructure and ensure that assets are efficient and productive and sewer system rehabilitation efforts.
Marshall County – $3,075,564
Marshall County will use ARP funds to address critical needs in their drinking water system and develop an Asset Management Plan. Marshall County’s drinking water projects will include the installation of 37,000 linear feet of new water lines to modernize the system and replace aging water lines.
