Town of Johnson and VEC Complete Stormwater Control Project Under Federal Grant

A construction project to install a modern system to treat stormwater runoff from both a proposed light industrial park on Route 15 in Johnson and the nearby Vermont Electric Co-op (VEC) property has been completed, thanks to a federal grant administered by the state of Vermont.

The project was a partnership between the town of Johnson and VEC and was funded through a grant of just over $500,000 of ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds administered through the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation.

The project will be treating stormwater runoff both from the planned industrial park on Route 15 across from Wescom Road as well as from the VEC property at 42 Wescom Road.

“This project was successful because of the availability of funding and the productive partnership the town of Johnson has with the Vermont Electric Co-op,” said Johnson Town Administrator John Sutherland. “We are pleased with the outcome and the environmental benefits this project will bring to the area.”

Specifically, the project included the installation of an underground chamber stormwater filtration system, stormwater drainage structures, stormwater piping and connection to existing stormwater infrastructure in and around the VEC facility.

The stormwater treatment system is required under state law to address phosphorus runoff from existing developed lands, specifically sites that contain three acres or more of impervious surface. The combined current and future impervious surface of the industrial park and VEC is approximately 3.4 acres.

Planning for the project began in 2021. Actual construction ran from October through December of 2025.