Sen. Helming Secures $500,000 for Water Infrastructure in Wayne County

GENEVA – Senator Pam Helming today announced that she has secured a total of $500,000 for the Wayne County Water and Sewer Authority to upgrade the infrastructure that serves residents throughout Wayne County. A $250,000 grant will support the construction of a regional water storage facility, while another $250,000 grant will support the construction of a regional wastewater treatment facility. Both funding requests have been sent to the New York State Department of Health and the State Department of Environmental Conservation, which will administer the grants.

“An adequate, reliable water supply is essential for our communities and our businesses to grow and thrive, so an investment in water and sewer infrastructure is an investment in economic development. Oftentimes, however, our local governments do not have sufficient resources to make these necessary upgrades without overburdening their local taxpayers, so the state government must rightfully provide support for their clean water efforts. This critical funding will allow several towns in Wayne County to work together on projects that will not only give their residents a safe water supply they can depend on but also save property owners money. I am proud to be able to help Wayne County finance these two crucial projects, and I look forward to seeing the many benefits that will result,” Senator Helming said.

The regional water storage facility will consist of a new 2 million gallon water storage tank, pumping station improvements to allow several suppliers to fill the new tank, transmission main upgrades within several towns, and a canal crossing to provide a back-up to the Canandaigua Lake water supply. The project involves the Towns of Williamson, Marion, Sodus, Arcadia, Lyons, and Huron, and the improvements will enhance the reliability and stability of the water system in central Wayne County. The work will also provide much-needed water storage to both existing and future water users in the area.

The regional wastewater treatment facility will involve the Village of Palmyra and the Towns of Macedon and Marion. The three municipalities each need to replace or substantially upgrade their aging and outdated wastewater treatment facilities at a high cost over the next few years. This project will consolidate all three treatment plants into one and replace the infrastructure while providing long-term savings to local residents of the water districts. It will also provide significant environmental benefits to both existing and future sewer users in this area.

Wayne County Board of Supervisors Chairman Steve Leroy said, “These improvements will advance the stability of the water system to many towns in our County. We are grateful to Senator Helming for all her efforts in securing funding for these projects. As a County, we work to provide reliable and high quality water. This is made possible through the work done by the Wayne County Water and Sewer Authority. The proposed regional water storage and wastewater treatment facilities will provide the most efficient service to benefit the people in our County at a reasonable and competitive cost. We can do nothing better as government leaders than to plan for our future and make such improvements that will protect resources and the environment for years to come.”

Wayne County Water and Sewer Authority Executive Director Marty Aman said, “This commitment of infrastructure funding for our Regional Water and Wastewater improvement projects speaks volumes toward Senator Helming’s recognition of the value of our fresh water resources here in Wayne County and in New York State. This investment in vital infrastructure improvements will help to better ensure reliability and sustainability of these critical water and wastewater systems for today and into the future.”