§ 4766. Award of advance
(a) The Department may award an engineering planning advance, as defined in section 4764 of this title, in an amount determined by standards established by the Department, and pursuant to the following:
(1) for public water supply systems, as defined in subdivision 4752(9) of this title, when it finds the same to be necessary in order to preserve or enhance the quality of water provided to the inhabitants of the municipality, or to alleviate an adverse public health condition, or to allow for orderly development and growth of the municipality, except that no funds may be awarded until the Department determines that the applicant has complied with the provisions of 10 V.S.A. § 1676a, unless such funds are solely for the purpose of determining the effect of the proposed project on agriculture; or
(2) for planning of clean water projects, in order to enable a municipality to comply with water quality standards established under 10 V.S.A. chapter 47.
(b) The Department shall award an advance for engineering planning under this section only when it finds:
(1) that the cost of the project is reasonable for its intended purpose; and
(2) that local funds are not readily available. (Added 2015, No. 103 (Adj. Sess.), § 35, eff. May 12, 2016; 2017, No. 185 (Adj. Sess.), § 14, eff. May 28, 2018.)