Water Sector News
A snapshot of clean water stories from publications around the country, updated daily!
Town uses majority of American Rescue Plan money for utility project
Amherst Town Council plans to use about $2 million its federal American Rescue Plan money for water and sewer infrastructure needs, specifically a sludge dewaterer.
Town Manager Sara Carter said the dewaterer would reduce liquid from sludge, allowing water to be treated and discharged and remaining sludge to be disposed of, which she described as the final step in the wastewater treatment process.
“Currently, the [Town of Amherst] relies on large drying beds, which is a time- and labor-intensive process,” Carter said. “A centrifuge would be much more efficient and improve treatment outcomes.”
Carter said the dewaterer would take about $2 million, which the county has to spend from the federal stimulus President Joe Biden signed into law in March to help localities address the pandemic’s many ripple effects. The measure benefits the town’s water and wastewaster plants and is outside council’s ability to fund on its own for several years, according to the town’s utilities committee.