by Katherine Boyk
This article was published in the summer 2025 issue of our newsletter.
This year’s Tony Torchia Award recipient is Eric Blatt, who is soon to retire after 47 years working for the State of Vermont. While most of Eric’s work has been behind-the-scenes, he has nonetheless been instrumental to the wellbeing of Vermont’s public drinking water and wastewater systems through funding and financing provided by programs like the State Revolving Funds.
“Many people might not know who I am,” Eric said during the award ceremony at Vermont Rural Water’s conference in May. “I have probably passed hundreds of millions of dollars that have probably impacted most of the water and wastewater systems here.”
Eric Blatt received the Tony Torchia Award at Vermont Rural Water’s conference in May.
Eric began working for the State of Vermont in 1978. Over his career, he has held various positions at regional offices, the Public Facilities Division, and the Water Supply Division. He ran the Facilities Engineering Division for six years before it was transformed into the Water Investment Division, where he now serves as Director of Engineering.
Much of his work has focused on funding for drinking water and wastewater systems, such as the State Revolving Funds (SRFs). In fact, he joined the Public Facilities Division in 1992, just a few years after the Clean Water SRF was created. He has worked on the Drinking Water SRF since it began in 1997.
Eric says one of his favorite aspects of his job is testifying before the Vermont legislature. During the legislative session each year, he provides testimony to support capital requests for the State’s infrastructure funding programs, including the SRFs, dam safety, and municipal pollution control grants. He works closely with legislative committees such as the House Committee on Corrections and Institutions.
“The committees have been very supportive of these programs over the years,” Eric said, largely approving—and sometimes even exceeding—funding requests.
This success has directly benefited countless water and wastewater systems across Vermont who have used the State’s funding programs to help pay for infrastructure projects and keep costs affordable for rate payers.
Eric described one recent achievement that he is proud of, developing a new category of “hardship municipality” under the Drinking Water SRF, which provides up to $200,000 to water systems facing imminent failure. Eric said this was initiated to address affordability issues facing one particular community, but was ultimately formulated to help others experiencing similar challenges.
He also described a time in the late 1990s when the legislature was having a hard time coming up with about $1.5 million in matching State funds for a Federal grant. Eric had the idea to reclaim planning advance dollars that would be repaid to the state in the coming year and use this money for the needed matching funds. Eric was proud to say that he saved the State over $1 million at a critical time.
Like many in the water industry, Eric stumbled into this work by chance. He graduated from the University of Vermont in 1976 with a degree in civil engineering. He said it was a period of “stagflation” and there wasn’t much work available, but the State’s regional offices were expanding and so he took a job there. It would seem he has made a fine career of this happenstance opportunity.
Eric has also served as a liaison to Vermont Rural Water’s board of directors since 2014. While not a voting member, Eric provides quiet wisdom and a direct connection between Vermont Rural Water and the State of Vermont.
“For the past 11 years, Eric has provided valuable insight, advice, and guidance in our organizational planning and budgeting processes,” said Liz Royer, Vermont Rural Water’s executive director. “And for many decades, he has provided the same to numerous drinking water and wastewater systems around the state.”
Eric is currently planning to retire from the Water Investment Division at the end of June, though he’ll continue assisting Vermont Rural Water’s board for a little while longer.
“His kindness, professionalism, problem solving skills and creativity will be sorely missed, as will his institutional knowledge that many people rely on,” said Thomas Brown with the Water Investment Division, who nominated Eric for the award.
The Tony Torchia Award is presented by Vermont Rural Water’s board of directors in recognition of special contribution to the water and/or wastewater fields in Vermont. The award was created in 2001 to honor Tony Torchia, a former water and wastewater operator for the Town of Windsor and Vermont Rural Water board member after he died of a brain tumor.
Eric said he is deeply honored to be receiving the Tony Torchia Award. “I didn’t know Tony, but I did work with staff who knew him, and they had a lot of respect for Tony,” Eric said. “Whenever his name did come up, it was always about something positive.”
When asked if he had any advice for others in the water industry, Eric said, “I would just want people to recognize that they work in a really noble profession. Some of the tasks seem pretty mundane, but it’s all about protecting, ultimately, the health of the communities that they serve. It really requires people working in the industry that take pride in what they do. The compensation may not always be there in dollars, but there is something to be said for the pride in the work that you do.”