The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) announced that 12 grants totaling $34,585,121 from Tennessee’s American Rescue Plan will be administered in the form of water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure grants.
“These grants will address important water infrastructure needs across our state, especially in disadvantaged communities. We commend communities who have gone through the application process, and we look forward to the substantial improvements the grant will bring,” Governor Bill Lee said in a Tuesday statement.
The 12 grants received will be for Sumner County, the Town of Farragut, the City of White House, the City of Lewisburg, Rutherford County, Metro Lynchburg/Moore County, Germantown, Johnson City, the City of Millington, the City of Loudon, City of Livingston, and the City of Mitchellville.
“We continue experiencing considerable growth across the state, and many of our communities require additional resources to address their evolving needs. These grants will play a major role in ensuring cities and towns have access to infrastructure solutions that will enable them to continue thriving, so Tennessee remains a preferred destination for both businesses and families,” Speaker of the House Cameron Sexton said.
The grants will include one collaborative grant and 11 non-collaborative grants for drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure planning, design, and construction.
These 12 grants follow the American Rescue Plan announcement of six additional grants totaling $37,910,909, which brings the total rewarded by TDEC to $72.4 million. 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. State projects and competitive grants will receive the remaining funds.
“More than ever, infrastructure is critically important to our local communities. This money will allow cities and towns to address deficiencies and make improvements that will pay dividends not just in the present but in the years to come as well. I greatly appreciate the work of the governor and my colleagues on the Fiscal Accountability Group for their work in making sure these funds were spent appropriately and efficiently,” Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally said in the statement.
The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation say the grants will be used to:
- Protect and promote human health and safety and improve the quality of water by supporting water systems in non-compliance to work toward compliance with water quality requirements
- Improve the technical, managerial, and financial capabilities of small, disadvantaged, or underserved water infrastructure systems
- Address critical water infrastructure needs across the state
“We are grateful to the local applicants, and we anticipate excellent results from these grants,” said TDEC Commissioner David Salyers. “This shows that Tennessee recognizes the need for improved water infrastructure and is committed to helping communities that need.”
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Kaitlyn Osteen is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Send Kaitlyn news tips to [email protected].
