The principal planning goal for the state of Vermont is to maintain the historic settlement pattern of compact village centers separated by rural countryside. Achieving this goal is impossible when our compact settlements, most notably village centers, do not have public water and/or sewer systems. Understanding the extent of the challenge that Vermont’s water and sewer infrastructure poses to future development is the first step in telling the story of where development is possible in Vermont. It will also support the development of planning and financing strategies for communities and regions pursuing development, building and updating housing, and addressing workforce and demographic challenges.

At UVM, the Vermont Open Source Program Office (VERSO) supports teams of students via the Open Research Community Accelerator (ORCA) program to systematically map wastewater infrastructure data in Vermont to understand its impact on economic activity and housing development. This includes finding what data is already available, working with partners to determine the format of the data to be collect, and then working with available online resources and reaching out to towns to identify and record wastewater systems.

The UVM students will compile and publish town-level wastewater infrastructure data on a publicly accessible repository, working in tandem with state agencies like the Vermont Center for Geographic Information, the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, and the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development.

These efforts will be in collaboration with the Town of Jericho's efforts to pilot an outreach strategy to educate and empower stakeholders with essential information on funding pathways, resources, and planning considerations. These efforts aims not only to address immediate development challenges but also to align with broader state objectives outlined in the Vermont Climate Action Plan, Comprehensive Energy Plan, and Long-Range Transportation Plan, fostering a holistic approach to sustainable growth and resilience.

See the wastewater infrastructure map in the context of livability in Vermont