Group Launches Campaign to Boost Clean Water Infrastructure Projects; Deadline Approaching

Advocate coalition urges municipal leaders to apply for clean water infrastructure grant funds

PRESS RELEASE

A broad-based coalition of advocates for clean water infrastructure are banding together to tap into more than $300 million of state grant funding for wastewater treatment to protect the region’s fragile clean water resources. The region’s waterways provide for recreation, commerce and, in some cases, drinking water supplies downstate.

“On the surface, the Hudson River and Long Island Sound glisten as they serve as the undisputed epicenters of the region – unparalleled attractions for commerce and recreation with their vast stretches of natural beauty,” said Ross J. Pepe, president of the Construction Industry Council of Westchester & Hudson Valley, Inc., and executive director of the Construction Advancement Institute of Westchester & Mid-Hudson, Inc.

“Yet, as picturesque as they may appear, both bodies of water also play protective roles as the entry point for many of the region’s wastewater and aging infrastructure facilities,” Mr. Pepe continued. “As these systems begin to fail, it is critical that municipalities along the shoreline and throughout the region modernize and repair their wastewater treatment systems.”
As a launch for the campaign, the coalition has informed municipal leaders in Westchester and the Hudson Valley of a looming deadline to access $300 million to support clean water infrastructure grant funds from New York State. Each municipality can apply for up to $5 million in grants as well as for low-interest loans for the remainder of their projects. Engineering grants to communities are also available.

These NYSDEC/EFC grants applications opportunities include:

§ Water Quality Improvement Projects (WQIP) for Municipal/SWCD/NFP

§ Wastewater infrastructure

§ Aquatic restoration

§ Non-Ag, non-point source pollutant reduction

§ Engineering Planning Grants

§ Municipal assistance for engineering reports to address municipal wastewater construction/upgrades.

“There is unprecedented grant funding available from New York State,” Mr. Pepe wrote to local elected and public works officials. “Coupled with low-interest loans and technical assistance, now is the time to take advantage of this rare funding opportunity. We are working here as well as in Albany to ensure that all our Hudson Valley communities are notified to apply for their full share of these funds.”

The application deadline for this round of grants is Friday, July 29, 2016.
For more information, call George at (914) 631-6070 or go to NYSDEC Grants: http://www.dec.ny.gov/pubs/grants.html.