2022 10 18 City Council

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PUBLIC WORKS 
 
TO:  C. Seth Sumner, City Manager 
FROM:  Ben Burchfield, Public Works Director 
Cc:  Kevin Helm, Project Manager 
DATE:  October 4, 2022 
SUBJECT: Authorization to Submit Application for TDEC ARP Stormwater Project Funding 
 
Background 
 
Tennessee’s Water Infrastructure Investment Plan (WIIP) describes how the State of Tennessee plans to 
invest the state’s American Rescue Plan (ARP) fiscal recovery funds in water infrastructure projects. These 
funds were authorized and appropri ated by the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The state’s 
Financial Stimulus Accountability Group (FSAG) designated $1.35 billion for the Tennessee Department of 
Environment and Conservation (TDEC) to administer for this purpose. TDEC is administering $1 billion 
through non -competitive, formula- based grants. Funds are made available through the State Water 
Infrastructure Grants (SWIG) program to be used for eligible drinking water, wastewater, or stormwater 
projects. 
 
The City of Athens maintains a municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) permit with the State of 
Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation (TDEC). This permit is required of municipalities 
and other agencies that maintain stormwater systems that discharge into Waters of the S tate (WOTUS). 
Maintaining this permit is mandatory  and unfunded. The Public Works Department maintains  the MS4 
system, and has taken considerable strides to expand, upgrade, and repair whenever able; however, 
Athens does not have a dedicated stormwater uti lity fund for these operations, and we will continue to 
fall further behind annually until efforts are made to implement a stormwater utility which will fund staff 
to inspect and maintain the system and fund capital projects to expand and repair the system as the City 
continues to grow. ARP funds are an ideal mechanism to dedicate to studying, planning, and constructing 
improvements to the City’s MS4 network. 
 
Process 
 
ARP funds have been allocated by the state based on a three- fold formula. The  total allocation is 
comprised of three allocations : base allocation, population allocation, and ATPI -population allocation. 
Between those three, Athens  has been allocated a maxim um non- competitive monetary balance of 
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