The Vermont Agency of Transportation has approved a $150,000 grant application to purchase a new streetsweeper vacuum to clear storm drains in Bennington, Vt.
The grant will come from the state’s Stormwater Mitigation Program.
Town Manager Stuart Hurd told The Rutland Herald that the sweeper-vac will be used to clean out the storm drains every spring. At one point the city tried using fire hoses to clean the mains, but it created a lot of sediment.
The Stormwater Mitigation Grants come from $3 million set aside for Vermont in last year’s federal transportation bill, written by U.S. Sen. Jim Jeffords. The funding is to be used to reduce water pollution associated with public roads and their maintenance. Projects include stabilizing ditches and culverts against flooding and erosion, and improving local water quality regulations.
$150,000 is the maximum amount for any one grant, and the towns are expected to come up with up to 20 percent of the costs.
Source: The Rutland Herald
