TDEC Announces $191.2 Million in Water Infrastructure Investments

Nashville, Tenn. (TN Tribune)-The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) today announced 49 grants totaling $191.2 million from the state’s American Rescue Plan (ARP) fund, part of which TDEC is administering through competitive grants for regionalization, water reuse, and resource protection, and a state strategic project. Of the 49 grants announced today, 14 are for regionalization, eight for water reuse, and 27 for resource protection. Regionalization projects will provide cooperative support across water and wastewater systems to improve the sustainability, affordability, and/or reliability of systems. Water reuse projects will reclaim water from a variety of sources then treat and reuse it for beneficial purposes. Resource protection projects will either improve water infrastructure resilience to extreme weather events, improve the management of stormwater to improve water quality, and/or restore natural landscape features such as streams or wetlands. The additional strategic project will address regional wastewater needs. Counties and cities, water utility districts, water utility authorities, and for-profit water infrastructure systems – if in partnership with one of the eligible entities as the lead grant applicant – were eligible to apply. “These water infrastructure grants provide assistance to communities across the state, and accelerate progress in rural Tennessee,” said Gov. Bill...