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ImageWASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Rep. Michael Arcuri (NY-24) and U.S. Rep. Dan Maffei (NY-25) announced today that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded grants and loans to a number of rural water infrastructure improvement projects throughout the 24th and 25th Congressional Districts.  These funds, administered by USDA Rural Development’s Water and Environmental Program, were included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Bill) to ensure that the necessary investments are made in water and wastewater infrastructure to deliver safe drinking water and protect the environment in rural areas.

“Ensuring that our rural towns and villages across Upstate New York have access to clean and reliable water means that we need to make improvements to the aging infrastructure found in many of these small towns,” Arcuri said, “This Recovery funding will go a long way in these towns and villages in creating safe, clean water for rural residents for years to come.  I look forward to continued resources being used to fix aging infrastructure across the region and will fight to make sure that more funding like this is made available to those in need.”

“Chronic under-funding of water infrastructure projects has been a problem plaguing Upstate for years. The Recovery Act is making smart investments that will not only put people to work on these projects, but improve the water supply for our rural residents for the future,” Maffei said. “I will continue to fight for funding for necessary projects like these so all our residents know they have access to a safe, clean water supply.”

The USDA announced that the following projects would receive federal funding to improve their rural water systems:

  • The Village of Dryden (Tompkins County) will receive a $3,636,000 direct loan and a $2,972,000 grant to make much needed improvements to the waste water system in the Village of Dryden.  This project had been in the planning stages for several years pending additional funding.
  • The Town of Sterling and Village of Fair Haven (Cayuga County) will receive federal funding to build new public sewers across the area to provide an environmentally sound alternative to septic systems and allow long-term protection of area water resources, such as Little Sodus Bay.
Funding for the Cayuga County project includes $1,019,000 through a direct loan and a $2,570,600 grant for Phase 2 of the project and a $1,549,000 direct loan and a $3,107,000 grant for Phase 4.
  • The Village of Newark Valley (Tioga County) will receive federal funding to improve the village’s reservoir.  Upgrades and improvements to the reservoir will be made this fall and will replace 4-inch pipe with 8-inch pipe and service connections and hydrants, upgrading to 8-inch pipe.  The existing 4-inch pipe is roughly 100 years old and covers a number of streets in the village.  This upgrade will improve the capacity of the system in order to provide adequate flow for potential fire fighting needs.  The project will also will increase the flow and supply to a number of residences within the Village of Newark Valley.
Funding for the Newark Valley project includes a $2,230,000 direct loan and a $1,988,000 grant.
  • The Town of Varick (Seneca County) will receive a $597,000 direct loan and a $357,300 grant to construct a water line to serve the Hamlet of Fayette.  This is a joint project between the Towns of Varick and Fayette, which both contain portions of the hamlet.

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