Last week state officials announced nearly $300 million in community awards through the Water Infrastructure Improvement Grant, Intermunicipal Grant, Green Innovation Grant, and Engineering Planning Grant programs to fund projects across New York.
One such winner was the village of Newark, who secured more than $3 million to replace the Allerton Hill Water Reservoir. It was funding that Newark Mayor Jonathan Taylor said was crucial to securing safe, affordable drinking water in the village for generations to come.
However, Newark wasn’t the only winner locally. There were a number of winners in the Finger Lakes, Southern Tier, and Central New York.
The state’s identified goal with this round of funding was to identify once-in-a-generation projects in communities across New York. In the case of Newark’s reservoir – it had been decades since work was done to update it.
The state says the grants will support water infrastructure projects totaling more than $1 billion when all funding sources are combined and the work is complete. Everything from safeguarding water from toxic chemicals, increasing resilience against flooding, regionalizing water systems, supporting local economies, and bolster baseline infrastructure is included.
“Grants are crucial to helping communities undertake environmental infrastructure projects that are vital to the health and wellbeing of New Yorkers, the resiliency of shoreline communities, and economic development that supports industry, businesses and homeowners,” Governor Kathy Hochul said in a press release.
Here’s a quick breakdown of the projects:
- Water Infrastructure Improvement (WIIA) and Intermunicipal Grants (IMG): 73 projects awarded $279.3 million;
- Green Innovation Grant Program (GIGP): 8 projects awarded $15.8 million; and
- Engineering Planning Grants (EPG): 70 projects awarded $3 million.
Across our coverage area, the Water Infrastructure Improvement Grants were plentiful. Here’s what was awarded, community-by-community:
Central New York saw a total $12.8 million awarded. The grant dollars saved local municipalities around $34.5 million, according to state calculations.
- The City of Auburn received $3.72 million for comprehensive upgrades to their water filtration plant.
- The Town of Skaneateles was awarded $4.4 million for water system improvements.
The Finger Lakes region saw $51.5 million in award funding, which saved local municipalities around $218 million, per state calculations.
- The City of Geneva received $2.3 million for improvements to the Marsh Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant.
- The Village of Newark received $3.51 million for the Allerton Hill Reservoir project.
- The Village of Waterloo received $1.1 million for wastewater treatment plant and collection system improvements.
- The Wayne County WSA received $30 million for a regional wastewater treatment plant project.
The Southern Tier saw $19.9 million in funding, which saved local municipalities around $52 million.
- The Town of Bath will receive $857,500 for improvements to the Bath Sanitary Sewer System and Lift Station.
- The Village of Bath will receive $562,500 for improvements to the village sanitary sewer system and lift station.
- The Village of Odessa will receive $2.9 million for improvements to the Odessa Water System.
- The Village of Watkins Glen will receive $2 million for improvements to the water system there.
Josh is the publisher of FingerLakes1.com. Have a question? Send them to [email protected].