Western New York has seen its fair share of problematic water treatment recently in places like Niagara Falls. A new federal bill could help create new water infrastructure projects.The Promoting Infrastructure and Protecting the Economy Act, also known as PIPE, would authorize $5 billion dollars over 10 years for discretionary grants. They could be used for water utility projects related to drinking water and waste water.
New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., said local officials recognize the problem and have a plan. Now they need the resources to do it.
“Unfortunately, there are still too many communities in New York that have pipes that are old and leaking and lack sewer systems. They have outdated technology that isn’t doing a good enough job of keeping wastewater from polluting the environment. Some pipes in New York City are so old that they date back to the Civil War era.”
The Wastewater Treatment Plant in Niagara Falls has recently made some facility improvements since last July’s incident where black material ended up in the Niagara River. Still, water authority figures estimate they will need tens of millions of dollars to prevent another water pollution problem.
Gillibrand said this is something that will positively impact poorer communities.
“The funding would be in the form of grants, not loans, because too many communities can’t afford to back loans for such large projects,” said Gillibrand. “It would be available for any community in New York and across the country that wants to apply. State and local governments could also bundle multiple projects together in one funding application to help small and rural projects compete with bigger projects.”
Wastewater treatment facilities in New York are on average 30 years old. 30 percent of underground sewers are over 60 years old.
