FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 17, 2006
GOVERNOR ANNOUNCES $8 MILLION FOR ADIRONDACK WATER QUALITY AND INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS
Jane Forbes Clark and Arnold Fisher Receive State Honor
Governor George E. Pataki today announced more than $8 million for 12 North Country communities to implement critical water quality projects that will protect the Adirondacks and provide needed infrastructure improvements. The projects will help reduce the amount of phosphorus and other contaminants that enter Adirondack lakes and rivers, helping to improve the ecosystems while also providing reliable sources of sewage collection, treatment and disposal.
“New York has made significant investments in projects statewide that improve water quality by creating new wastewater treatment facilities and upgrading existing ones,” Governor Pataki said. “Today we continue that commitment by helping these Adirondack communities implement key projects that will help protect our waterways and drinking water supplies from pollution and other harmful impacts to our natural resources.”
Senator Betty Little said, “Keeping our streams, rivers and lakes clean and healthy is a goal we all share, but replacing and making necessary improvements to local infrastructure is expensive and difficult for local governments to fund on their own. The grants announced today are very helpful to many North Country communities and we appreciate Governor Pataki's support once again.”
Assemblywoman Teresa Sayward said, “I welcome the funds Governor Pataki has made available for the North Country. The Adirondack Park is a major asset to New York State. However, the rural character of the Park and the economic limitations for the residents of this region make municipal infrastructure projects a heavy burden for taxpayers. There are $30 million in sewer needs for Essex County alone. Water quality projects can not be accomplished without financial assistance on the state and federal levels.”
A total of $8.075 million is being made available to the following municipalities: Essex, Elizabethtown, Moriah, and Ticonderoga in Essex County; St. Regis Falls and Tupper Lake in Franklin County; Wanakena and Newton Falls in St. Lawrence County; Dannemora in Clinton County; Northampton in Fulton County; Indian Lake in Hamilton County; and Putnam in Washington County. The funding will be administered by the State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) as part of the New York State Technology and Development Program. The assistance to these smaller communities will target the protection of Adirondack lakes and rivers by fully or partially funding improvements to the municipalities’ sewage treatment, collection and delivery systems.
Among the funding announced today is $1 million for the Town of Elizabethtown, Essex County, to help construct a wastewater treatment plant and collection system. The community is located on the Boquet River, a tributary to Lake Champlain. Small lot size and shallow groundwater make individual on-site septic systems an ineffective means of wastewater treatment and the town is pursuing the construction of a new treatment facility expected to cost approximately $8.1 million. The plant will be instrumental in reducing the amount of phosphorus and helping to prevent the discharge of harmful pollutants into Lake Champlain.
DEC Commissioner Denise M. Sheehan said, “Positive changes in our water quality can be witnessed throughout New York State as a result of the commitment Governor Pataki has made to provide municipalities with the tools and support to fund needed infrastructure projects. The funding announced today will help continue the progress we are making in improving the health of Adirondack water bodies and improving the quality of life for North Country communities.”
Elizabethtown Supervisor Noel Merrihew, III said, “This important funding allows us to address our critical wastewater problems here in Elizabethtown. The Governor has recognized this necessary investment as a priority to provide clean and healthy communities here in the Adirondacks. The citizens of Elizabethtown and Essex County are grateful for his vision for us here in the North Country.”
Essex Town Supervisor Ronald Jackson said, “The Town of Essex is extremely happy to hear that we are receiving a New York State grant of One Million Dollars from Governor Pataki to help finance our wastewater treatment plant and collection system. Essex is the only Hamlet on the Lake without a wastewater system. This grant is a big step towards reaching that goal that we have been striving to achieve for over fifty years, since my Uncle Elvin Cross was the Supervisor. These Grants once again show that Governor Pataki is the Environmental Governor.”
The list of recipients includes:
Essex County:
Town of Essex - $1 million Construction of a wastewater treatment plant and collection system
Town of Elizabethtown - $1 million Construction of a wastewater treatment plant and collection system
Town of Ticonderoga - $1 million Upgrading of the existing wastewater treatment plant
Town of Moriah - $200,000 Replacement of the Mineyard Pump Station
Essex/Washington Counties:
Towns of Ticonderoga and Putnam - $1 million Provide sewer district extensions at Black Point Road
Franklin County:
Hamlet of St. Regis Falls, Town of Waverly - $575,000 Purchase aeration tank/clarifier covers and replacing the existing sludge treatment system with a low technology natural reed bed unit
Village of Tupper Lake, Town of Altamont - $875,000 Upgrade two existing aging pump stations and construct an equalization tank to help improve plant performance
St. Lawrence County:
Hamlet of Wanakena, Town of Fine - $750,000 Correction of infiltration and inflow issues
Hamlet of Newton Falls, Town of Clifton - $1 million Construction of a wastewater treatment plant
Clinton County:
Village of Dannemora, Town of Dannemora - $75,000 Installation of a permanent phosphorus removal system at the Village’s wastewater treatment plant
Fulton County:
Town of Northampton – $200,000 Replacement of sanitary sewers to correct inflow/infiltration issues
Hamilton County:
Town of Indian Lake – $400,000 Replacement of some sewers in Route 28 to address inflow/infiltration issues.
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