Considering all of the work Scott Hunsucker put into applying for a grant, he was excited to recently learn Brownstown is one of seven being awarded funding.

The Brownstown Wastewater Utility superintendent received notification from the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs that the town is receiving a $50,000 planning grant to address water infrastructure.

The state distributes the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant funds to rural communities to assist units of local government with various community projects. Planning grants are one type of grants offered through OCRA’s CDBG program.

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Water infrastructure grants allow communities to take a holistic view of potential issues and opportunities across the drinking, waste and stormwater infrastructure. By completing water infrastructure planning, communities will be able to make decisions regarding the most urgent water needs while understanding how each system works in context with other utility systems.

The grant will allow Brownstown to complete a study to determine the need to replace some of the wastewater treatment system.

The town’s local match of $6,000 will come from the wastewater treatment plant operating fund.

Hunsucker said he was pleasantly surprised to receive the funding after grant consultant Shannon McLeod with Greensburg-based Priority Project Resources kept mentioning how competitive these grants have become.

Plus, OCRA had suspended grants in the spring and was shifting money toward COVID-19-related issues, and when the grants were reinstated in September, there was a huge backlog of applicants, Hunsucker said.

“I’m grateful we are receiving this grant so that we can look at the sanitary sewers, storm sewers and wastewater treatment plant and form a long-term game plan,” he said.

Hunsucker said he had to submit a lot of data from plant operations, lift station operations, maintenance records, potential future growth, storm-related issues, parts availability for aging equipment and storm and drainage issues. McLeod put all of that information with the grant application.

Planning grants strive to encourage communities to plan for long-term community development with the aid of community input and subject matter experts.

Hunsucker included letters of endorsement from residents and business owners describing issues they have encountered with the storm or sanitary sewers.

“Community input is critical in not only obtaining grants but to help us with identifying and prioritizing areas to be addressed,” Hunsucker said. “The street department and the wastewater utility may know where problems exist, but these letters help seal the deal with obtaining grants.”

The town sought bids from engineering firms to conduct the study, and the only one to submit a statement of qualifications was Wessler Engineering of Indianapolis. That firm has worked with the town in the past.

Hunsucker said he anticipates the studies will start within the month.

“We will be doing flow studies for both lift stations, evaluating both lift stations and looking at options to meet the town’s needs,” he said, referring to the 35-year-old Vallonia Road lift station on the southwest side of town and the 40-plus-year-old Bob Thomas lift station off of U.S. 50 on the north end of town.

Hunsucker said the Vallonia Road lift station serves 75% of the town and has reached capacity, and it’s hard to get parts for the Bob Thomas lift station.

He also said the lift stations have no automatic transfer switch for storms and must be turned on manually if they shut down.

The planning grant also will allow Wessler Engineering to look at the wastewater treatment plant capacity and its ability to meet future growth and Indiana Department of Environmental Management and Environmental Protection Agency permits for the near future.

Hunsukcer said one of the clarifiers at the plant is 35 years old and another is 25 years old. Clarifiers provide retention to slow water down and separate out suspended particles.

“Both are hard to get parts for,” he said.

The plant’s ultraviolet light system also is obsolete and needs replaced, Hunsucker said. Ultraviolet light systems disinfect wastewater by destroying disease-causing organisms, which prevents them from reproducing.

Earlier this year, Hunsucker told the Brownstown Town Council that replacing the two clarifiers could cost $450,000 and the ultraviolet system would cost another $150,000 to replace.

Wessler Engineering also will reinspect manholes and sewer segments that were not rehabilitated in the cured-in-place pipe lining project in 2017, inspect all storm sewers and structures and look at storm sewer replacements and additions to help with flooding issues around town.

McLeod said it will take a year for the study to be completed and will be 2022 before any work could begin.

“When these studies are completed, the town will have a blueprint for future storm and sanitary projects to guide us in prioritizing future projects,” Hunsucker said.