U.S. Rep. Joe Morelle announced more than $1 million in federal funding for a sewer infrastructure project in Victor during a press conference with local officials, saying the investment will help replace an aging pipeline that has failed multiple times in recent years.
The funding — $1,002,944 in congressionally directed federal funding — will be used to replace a sanitary sewer force main along County Road 9 that has served the community for more than three decades. The existing pipe has experienced several breaks over the past 15 years, releasing untreated sewage into White Brook and creating environmental and public health concerns.
Speaking alongside local officials, Morelle said the project will allow the town to install a stronger and more modern pipeline designed to serve Victor for decades.
“These are the things, while they may not make headlines… they are so critical to the well-being of people in a community,” Morelle said, referring to the importance of maintaining underground infrastructure that residents often take for granted.
Local leaders highlight importance of infrastructure
Victor Deputy Town Supervisor Dave Condon said the funding will allow the town to address a long-standing infrastructure concern and avoid costly emergency repairs in the future.
The sewer line, he said, is approximately 36 years old and has experienced multiple failures. When breaks occur, crews from the Town of Farmington — which maintains the system through a longstanding intermunicipal agreement — respond to repairs and cleanup.
“When there’s a break and someone’s out there at two o’clock in the morning, it’s a Farmington team that’s out there with the cleanup and working with our engineers,” Condon said.
Victor owns the sewer infrastructure, while Farmington’s sewer and water department handles maintenance operations under the agreement between the two municipalities.
Project will replace key sewer force main
The force main runs from the pump station near Gillis Road to the New York State Thruway corridor. Unlike typical gravity sewer systems, the pipeline pumps wastewater uphill through the system, making the infrastructure particularly critical to maintain.
Engineering firm LaBella Associates has already been conducting surveys and preparing for the replacement project, according to local officials.
Condon said infrastructure improvements like the sewer replacement are essential to maintaining basic municipal services.
“You expect clean water, you expect the toilets to flush, you expect roads and bridges to be in place,” he said.
Federal funding supports growing communities
Morelle said the project demonstrates how local and federal officials can work together to address infrastructure needs and support growing communities.
Victor continues to see development and population growth, he said, making it important that public infrastructure keeps pace.
“Local leaders recognized the problem, developed a responsible plan to address it, and we worked together to secure the federal resources,” Morelle said.
The investment, he added, will help protect local waterways and ensure the sewer system remains reliable for residents and businesses for years to come.
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