American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Wastewater Grant Funding Availability 

Dukes County has allocated $135,000 for the Town of Chilmark’s portion of the ARPA nitrogen-reducing septic system grant program. Grant funding under this program is available in two segments: for enhanced I/A system design costs and enhanced I/A system installation costs. Grant funding will only be awarded for system designs with no increase in the number of bedrooms/wastewater flow. Eligible properties must be in either Lower Chilmark Pond, Tisbury Great Pond or Squibnocket Pond watershed (within 3 miles of mean high water), as these ponds had been classified as impaired in the Massachusetts Estuaries Project report.

Funding under the grant is limited to homeowners with an aggregate income not exceeding 240% of the County’s Area Median Income (AMI), adjusted for household size. The Chilmark Board of Health voted that the applicants at 120 % AMI or less in the previous calendar year are eligible to apply for a grant to cover expenditures of a full septic system design and/or installation. The applicants with income greater than 120 % AMI in the previous calendar are only eligible to apply for a grant to cover expenditures of a partial (IA component) retrofit design and/or installation. Homeowners with an aggregate income below 80% of the AMI for the County, adjusted for household size, may request direct payment to vendors rather than reimbursement for costs incurred. 

Additional Information on the funding, separate septic design and installation grant applications, watershed boundaries can be found on the County’s website / ARPA Funding Information page at https://www.dukescounty.org/home/news/arpa-funding-informational-page#:~:text=Dukes%20County%20has%20received%20a,wastewater%20infrastructure%20on%20Martha’ s%20Vineyard. Please refer to exhibit A of the grant application for income levels. Grant applications will be prioritized based on the applicant’s income and the property’s proximity to the impaired ponds. Completed applications should be submitted to Anna McCaffrey, Chilmark Board of Health Administrator and Inspector, at boh@chilmarkma.gov.