§ 1628. Priorities

The Department shall make grant awards under this chapter to eligible municipal water pollution abatement and control projects on the basis of need as determined according to a system of priorities adopted by rule by the Department and to the extent appropriate funds are available. The system of priorities shall require consideration of criteria, including:

(1) whether a project is grant or loan eligible;

(2) the condition of the waters affected by the project and whether the waters are:

(A) not in compliance with the Vermont Water Quality Standards; or

(B) have a total maximum daily load (TMDL);

(3) whether the project will address water quality issues identified in a basin plan;

(4) whether the project will abate or control pollution that is causing or may cause a threat to public health;

(5) whether the project will address an emergency situation affecting or constituting a threat to the environment or the public health, safety, or welfare;

(6) if the project repairs or replaces existing infrastructure, the condition and integrity of such infrastructure;

(7) whether the project incorporates principles of environmental resiliency or sustainability, including energy efficiency, which reduce the environmental impacts of the project or a water pollution abatement and control facility;

(8) the fiscal integrity and sustainability of the project, including whether the project is a cost-effective alternative, when compared to other alternatives;

(9) whether the project serves a designated center;

(10) affordability factors for the municipality or municipalities in which the project is located, including:

(A) median household income;

(B) unemployment rate; and

(C) population trends; and

(11) if the project removes a pollutant for which the water or waters affected by the project are impaired, the cost-effectiveness of the project at removing that pollutant. (Added 1971, No. 97, § 3, eff. April 22, 1971; amended 1981, No. 222 (Adj. Sess.), § 35; 1989, No. 276 (Adj. Sess.), § 33, eff. June 20, 1990; 2013, No. 147 (Adj. Sess.), § 11, eff. June 1, 2014; 2015, No. 103 (Adj. Sess.), § 21, eff. May 12, 2016.)