The town of Johnson was hit particularly hard by last month's flooding.
Farm fields flooded. Residents lost power, and the town's wastewater treatment plant was inundated with water.
Just a month after the initial damage, water operator Dan Copp says things are looking up. Contractors and electricians have installed new wiring and motors at the facility.
"We were able to get that done in what was a longer timeframe than I'd hoped," Copp said, "but all things considered — from complete destruction of the plant — I'm pretty impressed that we're actually producing quality effluent to the river this soon after the event."
He says the facility has been back online for the last two weeks, though only on a temporary basis and not at full capacity.
Near-daily testing of effluent shows the treated wastewater going into the Lamoille River is within permit limits and shows improvement each day.
Copp says town residents are talking about moving the facility to higher ground, but that could carry a price tag of roughly $27 million.
Copp says that would be a huge tax burden for a small town like Johnson.
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