Gov. Kathy Hochul is sending millions to Western New York to improve water and sewer systems, with the largest chunk of Western New York grant money going to improve an Erie County sewer treatment plant that, among other things, is responsible for handling all sewage flowing from the current and future Buffalo Bills stadiums.
Hochul announced Tuesday that $17 million is going toward the upgrade and expansion of the Southtowns Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant. The Hamburg-based plant is responsible for transforming sewer water from those who live in the towns of Hamburg, Orchard Park, Boston and Eden into clean water.
The state’s contribution will assist with the costs for one of the most expensive and underappreciated investments that Erie County is making over the next few years. Upgrades to the plant’s capacity are considered important to ongoing anti-pollution efforts and the health of Lake Erie.
People are also reading…
Hochul also announced that the Niagara Falls Water Board is receiving a $5 million grant for system improvements that include replacing several old water mains in Niagara Falls, and for a replacement water tank, and roof, filter and chemical system upgrades at the city’s water treatment plant. The project is expected to provide important backup water storage and improve pressure and flow throughout the water system.
Millions are also being allocated to North Tonawanda for sewer treatment plant upgrades and to the Town of West Seneca for sewer rehabilitation work. Money would also flow to Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Allegany counties.
Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that the state will invest $20 million in planned water infrastructure upgrades at the Erie County Water Authority that, she said, will help relieve some of the financial burden on its 500,000 commercial and residential customers.
These state grants are being made as part of Hochul’s broader announcement Tuesday about an investment of $479 million in grants for water infrastructure projects, including the first funding awarded through the Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act of 2022. Hochul said the state funding is projected to save local ratepayers an estimated $1.3 billion and create 24,000 jobs across the state.
“No one in New York should ever fear that they don’t have access to clean water,” Hochul said in a statement. “We are reassuring communities across New York that your kids, grandkids, and great grandkids will always have access to clean and safe water. This investment will make lifesaving improvements to our water infrastructure and safeguard drinking water for millions of people, in addition to saving New Yorkers money and creating tens of thousands of jobs.”
Hochul previously announced in August a $20 million grant to the Erie County Water Authority to assist with clean water projects, though water authority rates are still rising significantly.
Authority officials attributed the bulk of the increased costs to ongoing price hikes for chemicals and higher rates for outside contractors, plus ongoing commitment to upgrade the county's water treatment and supply system.
The Erie County Legislature last month approved a $54.9 million contract with a West Seneca contractor for the first phase of a giant overhaul and expansion of the Southtowns Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant. There has not been a bigger contract issued for a county sewer project since the original sewer treatment plants were built in the 1970s and ‘80s, said Joseph Fiegl, deputy commissioner of Erie County division of sewerage management.
The scope of the current project includes extensive work on the sewer plant’s electrical, disinfection, hydraulic and outflow systems into Lake Erie.
“Erie County is committed to continuing this legacy of protecting public health, improving water quality, and supporting the community through critical infrastructure investments,” spokesman Peter Anderson said. “Over the last several years, the County has been planning for over one hundred million dollars in investments to expand the treatment plant and renew existing assets at the Southtowns Facility. This project will enhance the operation and function of the facility and provide capacity for the needs of local municipalities, and the local economy, for decades to come.
“The expansion project will also support local jobs in the construction industry over the five-to-six years it will take to complete. We thank Governor Hochul, the New York Environmental Facilities Corporation, and the New York Department of Environmental Conservation for their tremendous support of this important project.”
The first phase of the project is slated to include $12 million and will come from federal American Rescue Plan dollars. Another $43 million will come from the reserve accounts for Sewer District 3, and new borrowing, which will take place in another year of two, after cash and any awarded grant money is spent, Feigl said. District 3 ratepayers will see increases to their sewer tax bill as a result, though the awarding of $17 million from the state may help offset that cost.
The Erie County Legislature is expected to approve a $54.9 million project to clean sewer water into clean water for those who live in the towns of Hamburg, Orchard Park, Boston and Eden.
The $54.9 million award is only for the first phase of the Southtowns plant expansion. The second phase will be much larger, likely costing twice as much as the first.
The primary goal of Phase One is to increase the downstream waterflow capacity of the treatment plant, Fiegl said. That includes a new pumping station, chlorine tank and dechlorination facilities, as well as electrical and generator work.
The second phase of the project would expand the biological and physical sewage cleaning capacity of the treatment plant upstream. A primary goal of the first phase is to make sure the rest of the plant won’t be overwhelmed as it finishes disinfecting and moving the clean water into Lake Erie, Fiegl said.
The first phase is expected to take two years to complete, he said.
Six Erie County treatment plants clean and disinfect wastewater before returning the water to local rivers, creeks and Lake Erie. That doesn’t count the additional sewer systems run by individual cities and towns.