Four Niagara County water quality and climate resiliency projects have been awarded around $5.76 million in state funding.
They are part of $265 million awarded statewide to nearly 200 different water quality and climate resiliency projects.
“These grants continue our critical investments to update aging water infrastructure across the state,” Hochul said in a release. “They will also help our local governments enhance resiliency against flooding caused by severe weather, again demonstrating our commitment to a safe affordable, and sustainable future for all New Yorkers.”
The Niagara County projects include:
• $3.3 million to the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation for a culvert removal project and daylighting 600 linear feet of stream in Reservoir State Park, creating a wetland pond and walking trail.
• $2 million to the Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper for its Gill Creek Shoreline Restoration. It will restore its shoreline through planting native plants, removing a deteriorating boardwalk, and adding riparian habitat to reduce erosion and improve the habitat for aquatic organisms.
• $388,250 to the Niagara County Soil and Water Conservation District for a new Town of Royalton Salt Storage facility. This will replace an existing, aging storage structure for the Royalton Highway Department. It will also protect water quality within the Eighteen Mile Creek watershed.
• $75,000 to the City of North Tonawanda for updating its MS4 mapping. This will help the city identify issues within its existing stormwater system, with a focus on flood-prone areas.
These funds include more than $209 million from the state DEC’s Water Quality Improvement Project program, which awarded funding to 131 projects, $55 million in Resilient Watersheds Grants for 24 climate resiliency projects, and $2.9 million from the DEC’s Non-Agricultural Nonpoint Source Planning and MS4 System Mapping grant, which went to 44 projects.
Other Western New York projects receiving funding include $10 million to the Buffalo Sewer Authority for a new vortex-style drop shaft to the Scajaquada Tunnel for higher peak wastewater flows, $4 million to the Erie County Shoreline/Streambank Stabilization Program for stabilizing 10 sites on Erie County Parks and Forest properties, and $1.9 million to Grand Island for replacing three pumps at Lift Station 8 and rehabilitate 10,200 feet of sewer on Stony Point Road.