Governor Hochul Announces Help for Small, Rural, & Disadvantaged Communities to Access Water Infrastructure Funding
Print this Article | Send to Colleague
FEBRUARY 22, 2023
Albany, NY
Click here to read the full announcement.
Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the launch of a proactive outreach initiative to help small, rural, and disadvantaged communities address their water infrastructure needs. The New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation has assembled Community Assistance Teams to connect communities with experts who can help them undertake their critical water infrastructure projects. These Teams will provide on-site or virtual consultations to help communities across the state jump start planning, submit funding applications, and see their projects through to completion.
"Too many critical water systems have been neglected to a state of disrepair because communities don't have the staffing, resources, or expertise to undertake these vital projects, but that stops today," Governor Hochul said. "With the $500 million allocated for clean water infrastructure in this year's executive budget, my administration will continue to remove barriers preventing communities from getting the financial assistance they need to be able to access clean water for generations to come."
The New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation (EFC), a public benefit corporation that provides low-cost capital and grants for water infrastructure improvement, is working closely with the Departments of Environmental Conservation and Health to deploy Community Assistance Teams to conduct targeted outreach to small, rural, and disadvantaged communities. This includes partnering with the Governor's Regional Economic Development Councils and local organizations to host information events, identifying communities that have regulated facilities and have not used EFC for funding in several years, and soliciting requests for assistance directly from municipalities. Teams will provide one-on-one assistance to communities planning to upgrade their existing water infrastructure and to those communities working to create new water and sewer districts.
