Gov. Kathy Hochul announced $176 million in grant money for local water districts across the state, including Albertson’s and Jericho’s.
Hochul said the money would support over a dozen communities across the state in undertaking critical water and sewer infrastructure improvement projects on Sept. 18.
“Every New Yorker deserves access to clean water, and today’s announcement is a testament to our unwavering commitment to protecting public health, the environment and the affordability of essential services,” Hochul said. “By investing in water infrastructure upgrades across the State, we are not only addressing urgent needs — like replacing lead service lines and removing harmful contaminants — but also ensuring that no community is left behind in our pursuit of a healthier, more resilient New York.”
The Albertson Water District received a $5 million grant to be used towards the installation of a granular activated carbon treatment system at one of its wells. The treatment system works to remove PFAS, a forever chemical that has a detrimental impact on human health, from drinking water.
The Jericho Water District received a $5 million grant. The money will be used to purchase a new granular activated carbon wellhead treatment device to extract PFOA, a similar forever chemical with detrimental health effects, from one of its wells. The money will also be used to demolish the existing wellhouse and construct a new drinking water treatment building.
Water districts across Long Island have been building granular activated carbon systems to remove PFAS from their drinking water, with many, including Williston Park, spurred by recent state and federal EPA regulation changes that mandate all drinking water contain less than four parts per trillion of PFAS.
Hochul said the Environmental Facilities Corporation Board of Directors approved this set of low-cost financing and state and federal grants to empower local governments to advance critical upgrades without passing high costs on to ratepayers.
“These investments protect public health and the environment, reduce future risks, and support good-paying jobs,” her office said in a statement.
U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi, who represents both the Albertson and Jericho water districts in Congress, commended the governor’s grant program.
“Thank you to the governor and the State of New York for selecting the Albertson and Jericho water districts to receive $10 million to remove PFAS from our public drinking water,” Suozzi said. “The Albertson and Jericho projects are crucial investments that will enhance and protect our water infrastructure for future generations while alleviating the financial burden on local taxpayers.”
He added that the grants received in Albertson and Jericho were a result of the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which he helped negotiate as a member of the Problem Solvers Caucus.
New York has invested a total of $6 billion in water infrastructure since 2017.
