NY is handing out over $479M for water projects: How it will help your water

Jacob Mack, Ithaca Journal
·4 min read

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) announced Wednesday it is awarding $350,000 to eight projects furthering the restoration of the Finger Lakes watershed.

The projects, funded through the Department of Environmental Conservation’s Finger Lakes Watershed Grants Program, work toward the implementation of clean water plans in the Finger Lakes and help the department achieve its goals outlined in its Great Lakes Action Agenda, an overarching multi-year plan developed to guide a wide range of efforts, ranging from direct water quality safeguards to invasive species management -- virtually any action environmental organizations can take to improve watershed health in the region.

Seneca Lake in Geneva has a visitors center that introduces visitors to all that the Finger Lakes region offers. Visitors walk out on a break wall to take in the view.
Seneca Lake in Geneva has a visitors center that introduces visitors to all that the Finger Lakes region offers. Visitors walk out on a break wall to take in the view.

“The $350,000 grants awarded today will help advance key projects in the Finger Lakes watershed to improve water quality, promote thriving fish and wildlife habitats, and implement sustainable watershed practices benefiting the region’s communities and economy vitality,” NYSDEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said in a statement.

How this will improve water in the Finger Lakes

The $350,000 in awards from the Department of Environmental Conservation has come in grant allocations of up to $50,000 to eight Finger Lakes projects contributing to the restoration of the region's watershed.

Many of the projects seek to reduce the amount of phosphorus, nitrogen and sediment pooling in the watershed, the leading cause of Harmful Algal Blooms that plague many of New York’s lakes, according to the department.

Hobart and William Smith Colleges, the Schuyler County Soil and Water Conservation District, Town of Canandaigua, the Ontario County Soil and Water Conservation District, and Seneca County Soil and Water Conservation District will each receive $50,000, while the Honeoye Lake boat wash station and aquatic invasive species (AIS) prevention project in Ontario County will receive $39,985, the Cortland County Soil and Water Conservation District, will receive $30,000, and the Canandaigua Lake Watershed Association will receive $27,622 for its Watershed Education Program.

The grants are supported by the State's Environmental Protection Fund, allocated for land acquisition, farmland protection, invasive species prevention and eradication, recreation access, water quality improvement, and environmental justice projects.

A complete list of projects receiving State grant awards is available on the Environmental Facilities Corporation website.

An active algal bloom in Lower Green Bay from August 2019.
An active algal bloom in Lower Green Bay from August 2019.

About the funding

This funding goes hand-in-hand with $479 million in grants announced in a Tuesday statement from Gov. Kathy Hochul, going to water infrastructure projects statewide, including the first funding awarded through the Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act, passed by voters in 2022.

The funding is projected to save local ratepayers an estimated $1.3 billion and create 24,000 jobs across the state, according to a statement from Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office.

The grants are awarded by the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation, in coordination with the Departments of Health and Environmental Conservation.

"We are reassuring communities across New York that your kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids will always have access to clean and safe water,” Hochul said. “This investment will make lifesaving improvements to our water infrastructure and safeguard drinking water for millions of people, in addition to saving New Yorkers money and creating tens of thousands of jobs."

The grants announced Tuesday include nearly $450 million awarded through the State's Water Infrastructure Improvement and Intermunicipal Grant programs and was made possible with $249 million from the $500 million set aside for the water infrastructure in this year’s state budget and $200 million from the Environmental Bond Act.

The WIIA and IMG programs were named as tools in the voter-approved Bond Act to help leverage funding for water quality and infrastructure improvements.

"Access to clean and safe water infrastructure is vital to public health for communities across the state.  Under the leadership of Governor Hochul, these grants will invest in upgrading infrastructure, improve water reliability, and deliver safe drinking water to our most vulnerable—including smaller, underserved, and disadvantaged communities,” said Secretary of State Robert J. Rodriguez, in a statement.Hochul launched Community Assistance Teams this year to expand the state Environmental Facilities Corporation's (EFC’s) technical assistance program and help small, rural, and disadvantaged communities leverage this funding to address their clean water infrastructure needs. Communities seeking assistance with water infrastructure needs are encouraged to contact EFC at its website, www.efc.ny.gov/CAT.

This article originally appeared on Ithaca Journal: State funds watershed restoration projects