State Senator Joseph Griffo today announced that nearly $9.3 million dollars in state funding has been awarded to help communities in the North Country improve their water infrastructure.
The town of Denmark and the villages of Harrisville and Lowville in Lewis County, as well as the village of Potsdam in St. Lawrence County, are among the municipalities in the North Country that will each receive a share of the total $29.7 million in grants that were announced Wednesday by Governor Andrew Cuomo, Senator Griffo said. The grants were funded through the Water Infrastructure Improvement Act, which includes $100 million that was approved in the 2016-17 state budget with Senator Griffo’s support.
The announced grants are expected to be supplemented with nearly $83.7 million in interest-free and low-interest loans through the Environmental Facilities Corporation (EFC), providing a more fiscally sustainable investment for these communities, Griffo said.
“In order for our communities to attract and sustain new economic opportunities, we must ensure that our water infrastructure is strong and stable enough to support further progress,” said Senator Griffo, R-Rome. “Local municipalities and taxpayers cannot easily bear the burden of funding necessary upgrades to their aging water infrastructure, so I am pleased to have helped secure these investments to make it easier for communities in the North Country to improve the quality of water they provide their residents, while protecting the environment.”
The announced projects primarily include the planning, design and construction or enhancement of treatment plants, pump stations, sewer systems and equipment, as well as upgrades and replacements for drinking water systems, filtration plants and water mains.
Grant awards were based on a scoring system that gave priority to projects that result in the greatest water quality improvement or reduction in risk to public health and are positioned to advance to construction, among other considerations.
The following municipalities in the North Country will receive this grant funding:
|
NYS Water Grant
|
Applicant Name
|
County
|
Estimated Project Cost
|
Estimated SRF Loan Amount
|
Estimated Grant Award
|
|
Drinking Water
|
Town of Denmark
|
Lewis
|
$2,500,000
|
$1,000,000
|
$1,500,000
|
|
Drinking Water
|
Village of Harrisville
|
Lewis
|
$200,000
|
$80,000
|
$120,000
|
|
Clean Water
|
Village of Lowville
|
Lewis
|
$19,907,000
|
$17,640,000
|
$2,267,000
|
|
Clean Water
|
Village of Lowville
|
Lewis
|
$10,932,000
|
$8,199,000
|
$2,733,000
|
|
Clean Water
|
Village of Potsdam
|
St. Lawrence
|
$10,710,000
|
$8,032,500
|
$2,677,500
|