NBRC awards $37.2 million, with major investments in rural wastewater infrastructure

The Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC) has awarded $37.2 million in fall 2025 grants to communities across Maine, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont, with a significant portion directed toward drinking water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure projects. Of the total funding, $31.1 million was awarded through NBRC’s Catalyst Program, including 24 infrastructure projects that support construction or upgrades of wastewater and stormwater systems in rural communities.

Several wastewater-focused awards aim to address aging systems, regulatory compliance and growth constraints. Notable projects include $1 million to the City of Brookland, Arkansas, for wastewater treatment facility improvements; $1 million to the Town of Shelburne, Vermont, to install an ultraviolet disinfection system as part of a wastewater treatment plant consolidation; $1 million to the Village of Bergen, New York, to address sewer inflow and infiltration issues; and $1 million to the Town of Waitsfield, Vermont, to connect a local school to a new municipal wastewater system.

NBRC Federal Co-Chair Chris Saunders said the funding “will help unlock future private investment; grow the economy of the region, states and local communities; and importantly, improve the day-to-day lives of people that live in Northern New England and New York.”

View the drinking water projects here.