State Lawmakers Announce Funding For Bath Water Project

Bath, N.Y-- State Senator George H. Winner, Jr. (R-C, Elmira) and State Assemblyman Jim Bacalles (R-C, Corning)recently announced that $1 million in state funding will be awarded for a proposed project to upgrade and enhance the water supply system in the town and village of Bath.

The funding will be provided through the state’s Financial Assistance to Business (FAB) Water Program, a state grant program administered by the Environmental Facilities Corporation (EFC).

In a joint statement, Bacalles and Winner said: "The most pressing need in many communities is the need to improve water supply systems. These projects are expensive, and state assistance is absolutely essential to help ensure that our communities are able to maintain a high quality water supply. We’re extremely pleased to be able to support the extension and improvement of the water supply system in the town and village of Bath. It will mean safer and more reliable drinking water for many area residents and businesses. It will enhance local fire protection. It’s an incentive for economic development. Overall, it’s a meaningful investment in Bath’s future."

The lawmakers said that the planned water district project will involve the construction of 27,250 linear feet of water main and include fire hydrants, gate valves and other extensions to bring the current water supply system to residential homes and numerous small businesses in the town and village of Bath that are currently supplied by private, on-site wells. The project will cover areas along State Route 415N as far as Harrisburg Hollow Road and Spaulding Drive, as well as along Route 415S as far as Babcock Hollow Road, Lake Salubria Road, Lake View Terrace and East William Street Extension. Through an intermunicipal agreement, water for the project will be purchased from the village.

Winner and Bacalles said that the project will:

-- provide a more reliable source of water to existing businesses and for future business development;

-- provide high quality drinking water to existing and future residences and businesses;

-- enhance local fire protection; and

-- support economic development in the commercial corridor.

The FAB Water Program provides funding to help businesses and water suppliers, including municipalities on behalf of business, to increase and improve the quality of water supplies and/or wastewater treatment facilities. Projects that are located in villages, towns, and cities with a population of less than one million people and that demonstrate an environmental or public health benefit are eligible to apply. Funding for this program is made possible by New York’s 1996 Clean Water/Clean Air Bond Act.