Water Sector News
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New Hampshire water infrastructure projects claim the most ARPA aid so far
With a third of the state’s nearly $1 billion of federal pandemic money allocated, drinking water and wastewater projects have received the biggest slice of funding as of October, according to a recent analysis by the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute.
Of the $360 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding approved so far, over 40 percent of it has gone to water infrastructure. That’s $150 million for drinking water and wastewater projects, which will be managed by the Department of Environmental Services. The amount is more than three times what has gone to the Department of Health and Human Services, which had received about $48 million, or 13.2 percent of funds for managing the pandemic public health response, as of October.
Some $50 million given to DES was approved in June, with some of it going toward the creation of seven temporary full-time jobs. Those jobs include a business administrator, accountant, civil engineer, two environmentalist positions, a sanitary engineer and a program manager. The additional $100 million was approved in October. Of the $150 million, around $134 million is set aside for grants and $10 million for loans for communities.