Town of Johnson and VEC Complete $500K-Plus Stormwater Infrastructure Project

Highlights

• The Town of Johnson and Vermont Electric Cooperative have completed a stormwater control project in Johnson, Vermont.
• The project received just over $500,000 in ARPA funding administered through the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation.
• The system will manage runoff from a planned light industrial park on Route 15 and the VEC property at 42 Wescom Road.
• Construction included an underground chamber stormwater filtration system, drainage structures and stormwater piping.
• Construction took place from October through December 2025 after planning began in 2021.
• The combined existing and planned impervious area is approximately 3.4 acres.

Stormwater System Supports Industrial Development

The completed infrastructure project addresses stormwater runoff associated with both existing utility property and a planned industrial park in Johnson. The Town of Johnson partnered with Vermont Electric Cooperative to develop the system, which connects new stormwater infrastructure to existing facilities around the VEC property.

The project includes an underground chamber filtration system, drainage structures, stormwater piping and connections to existing stormwater infrastructure.

Federal Funding Supports Environmental Infrastructure

The project was funded through more than $500,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds administered by the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation.

The stormwater treatment system is required under Vermont law because the combined current and future development includes approximately 3.4 acres of impervious surface. The system is intended to address phosphorus runoff from developed land.

Planning began in 2021, with construction completed between October and December 2025.

Why It Matters

The project demonstrates how public funding and partnerships between municipalities and utility organizations can support stormwater infrastructure alongside planned industrial development. For developers and infrastructure owners, stormwater treatment requirements can be an important component of projects involving larger areas of impervious surface.

Source: Vermont Electric.