How a small N.Y. village is utilizing federal infrastructure funding

New York state is investing nearly $100 million to help improve drinking water infrastructure in several communities by replacing lead service lines.

The money comes by way of the bipartisan $1.2 trillion infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act approved by Congress in 2021. New York is starting to see some of those dollars trickle in now.

Eleven communities across the state are receiving some level of assistance, including cities like Rochester, Syracuse and Albany, but also smaller communities like the village of Catskill. The small Green County community is receiving about $106,000 to find and replace lead pipes.

The aging infrastructure is typically found in homes built before 1986, and has been linked to adverse health effects like high blood pressure, cardiovascular problems and kidney damage.

In smaller communities like Catskill, the resources aren’t always there, so the assistance has been critical in locating more than 1,000 lines that need to be replaced in partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

“Years ago, there were lead-service lines that took our drinking water into our homes, and science has obviously told us better into the future that there is no safe level of lead. And that is really what this about,” EPA Region 2 Administrator Lisa Garcia said.

In addition, the state’s Health Department is utilizing another $1 million to provide engineering and technical assistance for lead service identification in other communities.