Department Of Environmental Conservation Vermont

Department Of Environmental Conservation Vermont (VT DEC) is a U.S. state government agency that serves as a federal grant recipient administering water quality, drinking water, air quality, hazardous waste, and environmental compliance programs throughout Vermont on behalf of EPA Region 1, FEMA, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service. The agency operates entirely as a grant recipient (324 of 331 awards, 98%) and does not compete for federal contracts; it receives formula grants, project grants, and cooperative agreements that fund state-level environmental infrastructure and regulatory capacity.

VT DEC's federal footprint centers on EPA-administered water and drinking water state revolving fund programs. The agency has received multiple capitalization grants under the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF, CFDA 66.458) and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF, CFDA 66.468) to provide low-interest financing to municipalities and public water systems for infrastructure projects. Recent IIJA-funded awards include $14.5 million (CWSRF capitalization, October 2025–September 2032), $29.88 million (DWSRF capitalization, October 2025–September 2032), $1.1 million (CWSRF for emerging contaminants, October 2025–September 2032), and $7.857 million (DWSRF for PFAS treatment, October 2025–September 2032). The agency also operates a Drinking Water State Revolving Fund focused on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) remediation ($9.457 million, October 2025–September 2031) and administers the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Small and Underserved Communities Emerging Contaminants Grant Program ($264,000, October 2025–September 2028) to assist small and disadvantaged water systems with PFAS detection and treatment. Representative subawardees include the City of Burlington's Community & Economic Development Office (wastewater treatment plant upgrades, February 2026) and the Town of Franklin (Lake Carmi alum treatment, January 2026).

Brownfields and hazardous waste response programs form a secondary portfolio. VT DEC received $812,000 under the State and Tribal Response Program Grants (CFDA 66.817, October 2025–September 2026) to conduct brownfield site surveys, assessment, and cleanup activities, and $210,001 under the Superfund State and Indian Tribe Core Program Cooperative Agreements (CFDA 66.809, October 2025–September 2026) for non-site-specific CERCLA program management. Site-specific cooperative agreements include $264,536 for Superfund site-specific oversight (October 2025–September 2026) and funding for archaeological work and remedial action at NPL sites including Pike Hill Copper Mine, Ely Copper Mine, and Commerce Street Plume in Williston.

Air quality monitoring and underground storage tank (UST) programs receive sustained EPA Region 1 support. VT DEC operates National Air Toxics Trends Station (NATTS) sites and PM2.5 monitoring networks under multiple project grants (CFDA 66.034, 66.804) totaling $670,472 for equipment replacement, staff training, and deployment of new air quality sensors in underserved communities (July 2024–June 2029). The Leaking Underground Storage Tank (LUST) Prevention Program receives formula grant funding for compliance inspections, operator training, and delivery prohibition programs ($439,657, July 2025–December 2026); LUST corrective action activities receive separate funding ($361,400 for FY25, July 2024–December 2025).

Water quality planning and Lake Champlain Basin initiatives anchor the agency's multipurpose work. VT DEC received a $15.366 million project grant under the Geographic Programs - Lake Champlain Basin Program (CFDA 66.481, July 2024–December 2029) to conduct long-term water quality and cyanotoxin monitoring, phosphorus load reduction through best management practices, wetland restoration, and green stormwater infrastructure at public schools and state colleges. A $212,000 Water Quality Management Planning grant (CFDA 66.454, October 2025–January 2027) funds statewide rotational river basin assessments with pass-through funding to regional planning commissions; the Rutland Regional Planning Commission received a $61,402 subaward for tactical basin planning.

Geologic mapping and research programs are funded by the U.S. Geological Survey Office of Acquisitions and Grants. The Vermont Geological Survey conducted surficial geologic mapping under the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program (NCGMP, CFDA 15.810) for the Northeast Kingdom region ($153,856, September 2025–September 2027) and received $150,000 for the Geological Map Schema (GEMS) initiative (August 2023–July 2027) to support standards adoption and workflow documentation for New England state geological surveys.

Aquatic nuisance species management and invasive species control are funded by the Department of Interior Fish and Wildlife Service. VT DEC received $121,509 under the Fish and Aquatic Conservation - Aquatic Invasive Species program (CFDA 15.608, October 2024–December 2027) to conduct early detection and spread prevention, watercraft inspection training, and aquatic nuisance species monitoring in the Lake Champlain Basin.

FEMA funding supports flood hazard management and dam safety. VT DEC received $915,862 under the Community Assistance Program - State Support Services Element (CFDA 97.023, June 2022–June 2025) to provide technical assistance to National Flood Insurance Program communities and $246,073 under the National Dam Safety Program (CFDA 97.041, June 2024–June 2026). Multiple FEMA awards for dam safety and flood resilience training were active as of the source date.

EPA Region 1 also funds climate and energy initiatives. VT DEC received $670,472 under Clean Air Act research and development funding (July 2023–September 2025) for air quality training, PM2.5 and black carbon data analysis, and wood moisture content research, and separate funding for diesel emissions reduction through vehicle and equipment replacement grants to municipalities and state agencies.

Customer concentration is heavily dominated by EPA Region 1 (112 of 284 EPA-affiliated awards) and the Environmental Protection Agency (127 awards combined), accounting for 86% of the award count. FEMA (21 awards) and the U.S. Geological Survey (12 awards) comprise secondary funding streams. Activity remained relatively flat from 2022 through 2024 (27–29 awards per year), declining to 21 awards in 2025 and 3 awards through mid-2026 in the source snapshot. VT DEC has 20 awards completing within the next twenty-four months, creating recompete opportunity for successor grants in water quality planning, air monitoring, brownfields response, and aquatic invasive species programs.