Governor Hochul Announces More Than $453 Million in Grants to Make Local Water Infrastructure Improvements Affordable Statewide

Enhanced Awards for Sewer Projects in Small, Rural, and Disadvantaged Communities, and Drinking Water Projects that Address Emerging Contaminants

Projected To Save Local Ratepayers an Estimated $1.1 Billion and Create 20,000 Jobs Across the State

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that $453 million is being awarded to 83 water infrastructure projects across New York State through the Water Infrastructure Improvement and Intermunicipal Water Infrastructure Grant programs. The grants deliver on the Governor’s clean water and affordability agendas and reinforce the State’s commitment to helping small, rural, and disadvantaged communities with their water infrastructure needs. By providing critical financial relief to local governments across New York, Governor Hochul is accelerating projects that protect public health and the environment, strengthen community resilience, and create good-paying jobs, ensuring that New Yorkers have access to safe, clean water.

“New York families should not be burdened by rising water bills and outdated systems,” Governor Hochul said. “With this funding, the State is helping communities take on essential projects without passing unsustainable costs to residents and businesses. These investments will protect public health, support local economies, and help ensure reliable, safe water for years to come.”

The complete list of WIIA and IMG awardees by region, including an interactive map, is available on EFC’s website. 

These grants will support over $1.3 billion in water infrastructure upgrades that will protect drinking water from emerging contaminants, modernize aging water and sewer systems, strengthen resilience, regionalize services, and support economic development.  The funding announced today is projected to save local ratepayers an estimated $1.1 billion and create 20,000 jobs across the State. 

The announcement was made in Albany County, where a $25 million grant will boost the County’s effort to modernize its 1970s-era North and South Treatment Plants. These upgrades will help ensure reliable wastewater treatment services for the eight communities served by the Albany County Water Purification District and improve water quality in the Hudson River.

Statewide Impact for System Upgrades

The grants announced today include $227.3 million for 51 drinking water projects and $225.8 million for 32 sewer projects, from Western New York to Long Island. The funding reflects Governor Hochul’s comprehensive strategy of maximizing benefits for communities that have long faced financial and capacity barriers. The New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation (EFC) administers the WIIA and IMG programs in coordination with the New York State Department of Health (DOH), and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). With today’s announcement, the State has awarded more than $3.4 billion in WIIA and IMG grants since 2015.

Enhanced Awards for Sewer Projects in Small, Rural, and Disadvantaged Communities

Even with extensive financial support from the State, some municipalities are left passing a large financial burden to their ratepayers. To alleviate this burden on small, rural, and disadvantaged communities, Governor Hochul increased grants for these communities from 25 percent to 50 percent of net eligible project costs. Enhanced awards in this round include:

• Village of Bloomingburg (Mid-Hudson), $2.4 million for a wastewater treatment plant headworks upgrade to improve the performance of the plant and bring it into compliance with the environmental regulations.
• Cayuga County Water and Sewer Authority (Central NY), $16.5 million for the construction of the Cayuga Lake Sewer District No. 3 to serve unsewered areas in the Town of Ledyard and Genoa, along with upgrades at the Village of Aurora Wastewater Treatment Plant.
• Chautauqua County South and Center (Western NY), $16.8 million for the Chautauqua Lake Sewer District Phase 3 Extension. This project will extend public sanitary sewers along the northeastern shore of Chautauqua Lake to serve properties with failing on-site septic systems.
• Village of Corinth (Capital Region), $730,750 to extend sanitary sewers along Hill Avenue to eliminate failing on-site septic systems and replace aging sewer infrastructure on Heath Street.
• Village of Delevan (Western NY), $7.4 million for the construction of a public sanitary sewer collection system to eliminate failing on-site septic systems. Wastewater treatment will take place at the Village of Arcade Wastewater Treatment Plant.
• Village of Evans Mills (North Country), $4.9 million for upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant, including the installation of a new ultraviolet disinfection system to enhance treatment and meet environmental regulations.
• Village of Freeville (Southern Tier), $4.8 million for wastewater treatment plant improvements to bring the plant into compliance with the discharge permit.
• Town of Herkimer (Mohawk Valley), $2.2 million for construction of the East Herkimer Sewer District to provide public sanitary sewers that will replace failing on-site septic systems.
• Town of Pamelia (North Country), $5.7 million for the construction of a new low-pressure sewer along the Route 12 corridor within Sewer District No. 9 to eliminate existing failing on-site septic systems.
• Town of St. Armand (North Country), $484,185 for a wastewater treatment disinfection project to incorporate seasonal disinfection and to bring the plant into compliance with the discharge permit.
• Town of Trenton (Mohawk Valley), $16 million to construct a public sewer system to serve the Hamlet of Barneveld and the Mapledale area. This project will eliminate failing on-site septic systems.
• Town of Tupper Lake (North Country), $2 million to replace existing sanitary sewer mains in various areas throughout Sewer District No. 1.
• Town of Varick (Finger Lakes), $5.3 million for the construction of Sewer District No. 4 to serve residents along Route 89 currently served by on-site septic systems. This project will help reduce harmful algae blooms on Cayuga Lake.
• Town of Verona (Mohawk Valley), $6.65 million for the construction of a new public sewer system to serve the Hamlet of Durhamville, that will eliminate failing on-site septic systems.
• Warwick, Town of (Mid-Hudson), $8 million for Sewer District No.1 Wastewater Treatment Plant upgrades to ensure the plant can continue to meet environmental regulations.

Enhanced Grants to Projects that Protect Drinking Water from Emerging Contaminants

Reaffirming New York’s national leadership in tackling PFAS and other emerging contaminants, Governor Hochul awarded enhanced grants for eligible emerging contaminant projects, covering 70 percent of total eligible costs. This will help ensure cost is not a barrier for communities working to make life-saving investments that eliminate risks to their drinking water supplies. Awards include:

• Village of Chatham (Capital Region), $5 million to develop a new well source to address PFAS contamination and inadequate source capacity.
• Village of Valatie (Capital Region), $5.5 million to construct a PFAS treatment facility.
• Westbury Water District (Long Island), $10.8 million for 1,4-Dioxane treatment at Well 12.

In addition to the $10.8 million grant for the Westbury Water District, another $16 million is being awarded to help Long Island communities update their aging water infrastructure. Long Island depends almost entirely on a sole-source aquifer, and this investment gives local water providers the tools they need to help safeguard this unique groundwater supply and ensure millions of residents in Nassau and Suffolk counties have clean, reliable drinking water. This announcement marks the Governor’s latest major action to strengthen water quality on Long Island, building on more than $1 billion in State investment over the past two years alone.

EFC’s Community Assistance Teams Helped Municipalities Secure Grants

Small, rural, and disadvantaged communities are particularly impacted by deteriorating water infrastructure and often do not possess the resources and capacity necessary to advance a project for infrastructure improvement. Governor Hochul’s  Community Assistance Teams program that launched in 2023 provides essential support to local governments to help them address their critical water infrastructure needs. Nine municipalities that worked with the State through this initiative received grants in this round. This includes enhanced grants to the Villages of Bloomingburg and Valatie and the Town of Herkimer, listed above. Grants were additionally awarded to:

• Village of Massena (North Country) $5 million for the Bowers Street tank and clear well project.
• Town of Monroe (Mid-Hudson), $2.3 million for the Water District 1 improvement project.
• City of Syracuse (Central NY), $5 million for the Mosley Pump Station replacement project.
• Town of Warwick (Mid-Hudson), $8 million for Sewer District No. 1 wastewater treatment plant upgrades.
• City of Watertown (North Country), three grants including:
  • $24.3 million for the Watertown Water Treatment Plant improvement project.
  • $7.4 million for inflow and infiltration reduction in the Western Outfall Trunk Sewer.
  • $5 million for a new drinking water storage tank and transmission main.