Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr. (I, D, WF-Sag Harbor) announced that $50 million is available to local governments through the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation (EFC) and the New York State Department of Health (DOH) for critical water and wastewater infrastructure upgrades.

The Water Infrastructure Improvement Act provides $200 million in grant funding over three fiscal years, with $50 million available in the first year and $75 million each year for the last two years. This year, $30 million will be available for wastewater infrastructure projects and $20 million will be available for drinking water projects, which will be administered by the state Environmental Facilities Corporation, the state Department of Environmental Conservation and the state Department of Health.

Wastewater Infrastructure Projects

As required by the statute, the Environmental Facilities Corporation will give priority to projects that meet economic hardship and environmental health criteria. Priority will also be given to wastewater projects that mitigate combined sewer and storm sewer overflows, as well as for projects that increase system resiliency to protect wastewater collection and treatment systems from sea level rise and damage from extreme weather.

Applicants seeking grant funding for wastewater projects are eligible to receive grants of either 25 percent of eligible project costs or $5 million, whichever is less.

Drinking Water Infrastructure Projects

Drinking water projects that provide the greatest reduction in risk to public health will be eligible for grants. Preference will be given to hardship communities with 75 percent of the drinking water funds being reserved for them. Each project or community may receive grants of up to 60 percent of a project’s eligible costs, with a $2 million limit.

Applications for both wastewater and drinking water projects are now available and due by September 4, 2015. More information on the grant program and applications is available at www.efc.ny.gov/NYSwatergrants. Municipalities with questions should call the Environmental Facilities Corporation at 518-402-6924.

In addition to these grants, EFC and DOH offer zero-percent and low-interest financing to communities to further reduce the cost of infrastructure projects. More information on these loans is available at: www.efc.ny.gov/CWSRF (for wastewater projects) and www.efc.ny.gov/DWSRF.

(for drinking water projects).