Workshop Brings Clean Water Grant Information to Westchester Local Governments
Important information for local governments on State Clean Water Grants will be presented at the annual workshop hosted by Assemblyman Steve Otis (AD-91) and the NYS Environmental Facilities Corporation for Westchester local governments, environmental groups and engineering firms held at the Jay Heritage Center in Rye on Tuesday, July 26th at 11am. The state clean water grant application period for 2022 is now open.
The Environmental Facilities Corporation (EFC) is the state agency responsible for NYS’s clean water infrastructure grants for local municipalities. Assemblyman Otis has hosted these annual workshops with senior staff from the EFC every year since the enactment of the Water Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2015. The grant program was initiated to provide state funding to make local clean water infrastructure projects more affordable for communities and local taxpayers. Since 2015 the program has delivered $1.8 billion in state grants to over 800 projects across the state including over $55 million in grants to Westchester local projects.
Assemblyman Steve Otis said, “Our EFC Water Grant Workshop has been a valuable tool in providing Westchester local government the latest information about the current round of state clean water grants. The 2022 grant round is an important opportunity for municipalities to secure state grants to fund needed local clean water projects. This meeting helps bring more state dollars to our communities. Governor Hochul and the staff of the EFC have been great partners in supporting clean water funding.”
EFC President and CEO Maureen A. Coleman said, “The Environmental Facilities Corporation is pleased to join Assemblyman Otis and the other sponsors of this workshop to promote the water infrastructure grant funding announced by Governor Hochul on July 7. EFC welcomes the chance to assist any community who may need assistance applying for these grants or other financial assistance available through EFC to fund their water, sewer, or stormwater infrastructure.”
This year’s workshop is co-hosted by the Federated Conservationists of Westchester (FCWC), Jay Heritage Center, Save the Sound, the Westchester Municipal Officials Associations (WMOA) and the Construction Industry Council of Westchester and the Hudson Valley (CIC).
The July 26th workshop will include presentations from EFC and responses to questions from local officials about this year’s grant process and answers to inquiries specific to individual local governments.
These workshops have been very helpful in encouraging successful applications from across Westchester and for applicants to learn more about the process, application information specific to the current year funding round and background on other EFC programs. The application round is now open. EFC is now using a new an online application for WIIA & IMG. The application instructions below can help guide applicants through each section. The digital signature PDF form that is available below must be signed by the highest elected official or the authorized representative for the applicant and submitted via the online application. The deadline for submitting an online application is by 5:00 pm on Friday, September 9th, 2022.
• Application Instructions (PDF)
John T. Cooney, Jr., Executive Director of the Construction Industry Council of Westchester & Hudson Valley, Inc., and a founding member of Clean Water Jobs Coalition said, “Now is the ideal time for local governments to apply for clean water and drinking water project grants and loans through the EFC. More than ever, qualifying municipalities have funding resources to advance their infrastructure capital projects. Whether it’s for a first-time grant application or support for a new project to a community that was previously awarded, these clean water program grants and loans have provided hundreds of millions of dollars to protect the environment and have served to create thousands of living-wage jobs throughout our region.
Anne Janiak of the Westchester Municipal Officials Association said, “WMOA is pleased to be a cosponsor again of this instructional workshop which conveys important information to our member municipalities about available state funding to protect our water supply.”
Anne Jaffe Holmes of FCWC said, “FCWC urges Westchester municipalities to take advantage of this excellent opportunity offered by Assembly Member Steve Otis to find out how to access the $255 million made available this year by New York State for water infrastructure. Steve Otis has been a remarkably effective and successful champion for communities challenged by the enormous costs of outdated and overwhelmed water infrastructure systems.”
Peter Linderoth, Director of Water Quality at Save the Sound said, “We appreciate Assemblyman Otis’ continued commitment to securing this crucial funding, and we are pleased to partner again with all the co-sponsors of this practical and helpful workshop. Every community deserves to have access to clean water it can swim in, fish in, boat on, and enjoy. These grants will enable municipalities to address problems of deteriorating infrastructure, combat water pollution, and protect clean drinking water for their communities.”
The 2022 grant round of funding was announced by Governor Hochul in July. The WIIA and IMG grants will again be administered by the NYS Environmental Facilities Corporation (EFC), which has done a great job of working with local governments during the application process, expediting post approval contracting and getting funds to municipal awardees.
Assemblyman Otis’s office is available to help applicants in this important funding opportunity and to support applications throughout the process. Applicants can contact the district office at 914-939-7028 for more information.