From left, Gov. Phil Scott, Agency of Natural Resources Secretary Julie Moore and Cindy Parks, engineer with the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation water investment division, discuss the issues with existing water and sewage infrastructure during a tour of the Royalton Water Treatment Facility in South Royalton, Vt., on Tuesday, August 30, 2022. An estimated $2 billion investment in water infrastructure will be needed throughout the state over the next decade, Moore said, “to both refurbish existing systems and to prepare this essential infrastructure for increasingly disruptive and potentially devastating effects of climate change.” (Valley News / Report For America - Alex Driehaus) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com. Valley News / Report For America — Alex Driehaus

From left, Theron Manning, Royalton Fire District 1 prudential committee chair, and Courtney Severy, Kingsbury Companies' marketing representative, talk to Gov. Phil Scott while construction workers excavate the site of a new water tank at the Royalton Water Treatment Facility in South Royalton, Vt., on Tuesday, August 30, 2022. The Royalton water system draws a majority of its supply from the White River, and the new project will help to improve the system’s capacity and reliability. (Valley News / Report For America - Alex Driehaus) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com. Valley News / Report For America — Alex Driehaus

Gov. Phil Scott discusses water, sewer and stormwater infrastructure projects underway throughout the state that are being funded through the American Rescue Plan Act during a weekly press conference on the green in South Royalton, Vt., on Tuesday, August 30, 2022. Scott referred to the ARPA funding as a “once in a generation opportunity” to address issues such as aging infrastructure, broadband access, economic development and climate change. (Valley News / Report For America - Alex Driehaus) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com. Alex Driehaus

SOUTH ROYALTON — As infrastructure projects ramp up across Vermont, due in part to boosts from state and federal funding, Gov. Phil Scott’s visit to Royalton this week highlighted improvements to the Royalton Water Treatment Facility.

Renovations at the treatment plant — which is up a steep dirt road behind the Worthy Burger restaurant and serves around 200 users — include the addition of a new standby generator and a third filter unit that would allow the facility to double its capacity. The majority of the $3.8 million project is funded by Vermont’s Revolving Loan Fund, a state and federal partnership that provides financing for water quality infrastructure projects.

Before touring the plant, Scott said that of the $1 billion Vermont received in one-time federal funding, $200 million would be earmarked for water, sewer and stormwater infrastructure projects. Construction was originally supposed to be completed in January 2023 but, due to supply chain issues, the project is now expected to finish up in spring, or even summer, of that year.

The money comes from the American Rescue Plan Act, better known as ARPA, which Scott referred to as a “once-in-a-generation opportunity.”

“When communities have better infrastructure, they can support business growth and more housing,” Scott said to a crowd of mostly state employees on the town green. “One doesn’t work well without the other.”

Increasing capacity is particularly important in Windsor County, which since 2020 has seen the greatest population gains in Vermont, state Sen. Alison Clarkson said at the gathering.

Agency of Natural Resources Secretary Julie Moore emphasized that capacity demands on aging infrastructure are matched by climate needs. Funding in Vermont will be used “to both refurbish existing systems and to prepare this essential infrastructure for increasingly disruptive and potentially devastating effects of climate change,” Moore said during the governor’s visit.

The Royalton Water Treatment Facility draws from the White River as its main water supply — making it one of only a few towns in Vermont that relies on a river as its primary source. In the face of a changing climate, the system will have to be resilient enough to respond to a wide range of conditions in the river, including low flow during drought conditions as well as heavy rain events that can negatively impact water quality.

But infrastructure needs in Royalton don’t end with the upgrades at the water treatment facility. The town is still staring down the barrel of a decrepit distribution system — some pipes in Royalton are around 100 years old.

“You’ll be putting treated water from the brand new plant into pipes that are highly corroded,” Cynthia Parks, a construction engineer with the Department of Environmental Conservation, said in an interview. “So you may still be seeing complaints from customers about dirty water.”

Rusty, sticky valves that can’t open easily can also prevent distribution alternatives if an aging pipe breaks and can no longer deliver water and could result in longer shutdown periods. Additionally, pipes made more narrow by corrosion decrease water pressure, hurting a town’s firefighting ability.

Currently there is no money lined up for the distribution project, “but you’ve got to start somewhere,” Parks said, adding that right now, the issues with the existing treatment plant have priority, but it’s likely that the flurry of infrastructure projects in Royalton will continue, catalyzed by government funding as well as favorable interest rates on loans from the state. “This all gets very complex, very quickly.”

Even at a time of low loan rates and abundant subsidies, the town is still limited in how much money it can borrow.

“One of the first things that a community has to do when they’re looking for funding is pass a bond,” Parks explained. “In the case of Royalton, they were able to get a loan for the treatment plant project, but they still don’t have money lined up for the work that needs to get done on the distribution system. They can’t do that work right now, because to borrow more money would exceed their bond rating.”

And while cash from the state’s Revolving Loan Fund covers a large portion of the treatment plant project, a loan is a loan — a little under $1 million dollars will have to be paid back. ARPA money could be used to pick up the rest of the tab, but there are potentially other funding options available from the state.

“I urge communities and fire districts to reach out to us, because we really want to help,” Parks said of the state’s infrastructure financing staff. “We will work with them to find enough money — through loans, through grants — so that their project is financially whole.”

Frances Mize is a Report for America corps member. She can be reached at fmize@vnews.com or 603-727-3242.

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