Area municipalities awarded Water Infrastructure Improvement grants: O'Mara and Palmesano say funding provides critical support for regional projects

Elmira, N.Y., November 15—State Senator Tom O’Mara (R,C,I-Big Flats) and Assemblyman Phil Palmesano (R,C,I-Corning) said that municipalities in Chemung, Steuben, Tompkins and Yates counties are among localities across the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes regions that will share more than $57 million as part of the latest round of state grant funding under New York’s “Water Infrastructure Improvement Act” program.

In a joint statement, O’Mara and Palmesano said, "It continues to be important that the state is taking steps to distribute this vital funding as quickly as possible to help localities across the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes regions, and statewide, undertake critical water infrastructure improvement projects. We are hopeful that ongoing state assistance will prove successful in helping localities complete vital projects including sewer and pipeline repairs. We're also hopeful that it can represent a long-term model for how the state-local partnership can be strengthened for the good of local environments, local economies, and local property taxpayers by helping municipalities meet critical infrastructure needs while remaining within the property tax cap."

O’Mara, Chair of the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee, was instrumental in the establishment of the Water Infrastructure Improvement Act in 2015.  As part of the latest round of funding, the following grants were announced for regional municipalities:

> Chemung County, $1,415,000.00, for the 2018 Chemung County-Elmira Sewer District;
> Village of Hammondsport (Steuben County), $418,750.00, for the Village Square Wastewater Project;
> Town of Jasper (Steuben County), $158,043.00, for Waste Water Treatment Plant Improvements;
> Village of South Corning (Steuben County), $3,000,000.00, for Source, Distribution, & Storage Improvements;
> Town of Ulysses (Tompkins County), $300,000.00, for Water District #3 Disinfection By-product Removal;
> Village of Cayuga Heights (Tompkins County), $2,804,700.00, for Cayuga Heights Waste Water Treatment Plant Improvements; and
> Village of Dundee (Yates County), $2,057,750.00 for Waste Water Treatment Plant and Collection System improvements.

Palmesano's 132nd Assembly District also includes Seneca County, where the village of Interlaken will receive the following two grants:

> $3,000,000.00 for Improvements, Storage, Distribution and flood remediation at the well site; and

> $1,227,250.00 for Waste Water Treatment Plant Improvements.

The 2017-2018 state budget included the state’s largest-ever one-time investment, $2.6 billion, to address water quality challenges statewide.

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