Governor Andrew M. Cuomo recently announced that the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation Board of Directors approved nearly $60 million in grants and interest-free and low-cost loans to support vital drinking water and wastewater infrastructure projects across New York State. This funding will provide much-needed assistance for 12 drinking water projects and five wastewater projects in Upstate New York, including over $25 million in grants that were awarded last summer in the second round of funding made available through the Water Infrastructure Improvement Act.

"This funding will provide critical infrastructure support to towns, villages and cities across New York, as well as lay the foundation for future growth," Governor Cuomo said. "By making strong investments in clean water infrastructure in these communities, we will help to secure a more sustainable, more prosperous and healthier New York for all."

Recognizing that municipalities simply cannot keep pace with their ever-expanding water infrastructure needs, the Executive Budget includes the $2 billion Clean Water Infrastructure Act of 2017. This Act will build on the progress made through the Water Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2015, which made $225 million in grants available to New York State communities in the program’s first two rounds alone.

Environmental Facilities Corporation President and CEO Sabrina M. Ty said, “EFC continues to work diligently with municipalities across the State to help them to efficiently and economically meet their water infrastructure needs. Under the Governor’s leadership our ability to provide financial and technical assistance to these municipalities continues to grow.”

Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner and Environmental Facilities Corporation Chair Basil Seggos said, “Working with local communities, environmental groups and civic organizations, New York continues to make significant investments in water quality infrastructure and the overall environmental health of our communities across the state. Governor Cuomo has made it a priority to improve community resiliency and address the risks to wastewater infrastructure posed by floods, coastal surges and power outages. These state grant programs support the vital updates needed to ensure our wastewater systems are operating safe and efficiently and protect water quality.”

Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker said, “Through the Environmental Facilities Corporation, Governor Cuomo is advancing vital upgrades to water systems across the state. Clean water is essential to public health and New York’s significant investments in water infrastructure will protect this precious resource and the millions of New Yorkers who rely upon it, now and into the future.”

The grants, along with the interest-free and low-interest loans provided by EFC allow municipalities to finance these projects at a significantly lower rate than financing on their own. Additionally, 77 percent of the loans approved today are interest free.

The approved projects at the March 9 meeting include:

Capital District

• Albany Municipal Water Finance Authority (Albany County) - $6.3 million ($837,500 NYS Water Grant, $450,000 Greene Innovation Grant, $4 million zero-interest loan, and $1 million from other sources to finance costs associated with the planning, design and construction of the Beaver Creek Sewershed Overflow Abatement & Flood Mitigation project
• Town of Cairo (Greene County) – $3.5 million ($2.1 million NYS Water Grant, and a $1.4 million zero interest loan) to develop additional source water capacity, treatment improvements at the existing Park Well, improvements to the existing finished water storage tank, distribution system upgrades, and installation of new water meters and meter reading equipment
• Village of Chatham (Columbia County) – $808,217 ($484,930 NYS Water Grant, and a $323,287 low-interest loan) to replace the Village's existing open finished water reservoir with a new 400,000 gallon closed finished water storage tank and to replace the water main that services the existing reservoir

Central New York

• Village of East Syracuse (Onondaga County) – $1.5 million ($370,835 NYS Water Grant, and a $1.1 million zero-interest loan) to finance costs associated with the planning, design and construction of phase 2 of the Village of East Syracuse Infiltration/Inflow Correction and Sanitary Sewer Overflow Mitigation Project
• Town of Constantia (Oswego County) – $4.8 million ($2.8 million NYS Water Grant, $1.9 million zero interest loan, and $50,000 from other sources) to install new distribution mains and consolidate the existing system

Finger Lakes

• Village of Elba (Genesee County) – $3.5 million ($2.1 million NYS Water Grant, and $1.4 million in other funds) to connect to the Genesee County Water Supply, install a new pressure reducing valve, decommission the Chapel Street Well, and rehabilitate the Village’s finished water storage tank. The project will also include the replacement of approximately 21,000 feet of aged water main with new water mains and appurtenances.

Mid-Hudson

• Village of Cold Spring (Putnam County) – $875,000 ($437,500 zero-interest loan, and a $437,500 low-interest loan) to finance costs associated with the planning, design and construction to rehabilitate and upgrade the Village of Cold Spring's sewage collection system in the Fair & Market Street area of the Village

Mohawk Valley

• Village of Cobleskill (Schoharie County) – $5 million ($2.9 million NYS Water Grant, $433,400 zero-interest loan, $866,800 low-interest loan, and $800,000 from other sources) to install a new storage tank and expanded clear well capacity, water main replacements, and upgrades to the booster station and plant controls
• City of Gloversville (Fulton County) – $3 million NYS Water Grant to provide for the demolition of the existing water tank and construction of a new water storage tank, installation of a new water main, a system communication upgrade and the installation of a supervisory control and data acquisition system

North Country

• Town of Crown Point (Essex County) – $2.8 million ($1.7 million NYS Water Grant, and a $1.1 million zero-interest loan) to install a new well and replace existing distribution mains which have reached the end of their useful life
• Village of Tupper Lake (Franklin County) – $6.2 million ($1 million NYS Water Grant, a $2 million Drinking Water Grant, and a $3.2 million zero-interest loan) to install new groundwater sources and make improvements to the existing distribution system including the installation of water meters
• Village of Adams (Jefferson County) – $4 million ($2.4 million NYS Water Grant, and a $1.6 million low-interest loan) to install new wells, replace existing distribution mains that have reached the end of their useful life and rehabilitate two existing storage tanks
• Town of Hounsfield (Jefferson County) – a $91,663 NYS Water Grant to install a tank mixing system

Southern Tier

• Village of Sidney (Delaware County) – $9.4 million ($3 million NYS Water Grant, a $5.9 million zero-interest loan, and $554,500 from other sources) to improve source water quality by developing new wells, and/or providing the existing two wells with a treatment system. Additionally, water mains with poor pressure and frequent breaks will be replaced and meters will be installed on all remaining unmetered services.

Western New York

• Village of Middleport: (Niagara County) - $2.9 million ($725,000 NYS Water Grant, and a $2.2. million zero-interest loan) to finance costs associated with the planning, design and construction of the Village’s Wastewater Treatment Plant Improvement project

New York State leads the nation with the largest annual investment in water-quality infrastructure of any state. Through New York’s Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds, EFC invests about $976 million each year to fund water quality improvements.