Half-million dollars awarded to city for lead water line replacement
NORWICH – An inpouring of more than half a million dollars of state money is being made available to help Norwich city residents replace dangerous lead water lines leading into their homes.
Norwich is one of only two cities in the Southern Tier awarded a total $1.06 million, half of which will go to Norwich and the other half to the City of Hornell.
Funds come from a larger $10 allocation from the New York State Department of Health earmarked to eliminate communities' residential drinking water lead service lines. The grant builds on a previous $20 million that's already been awarded across the state.
Awards are a key component of New York's $2.5 billion commitment to clean water infrastructure.
Norwich City Mayor Christine Carnrike said because this is a no-match grant, it could go a long way in assisting local residents. Homeowners will be reimbursed by the city, and the city reimbursed by the state.
“It's a unique grant in that sense. A lot of these grants require some contribution from the city,” she said. “When there's only two cities in the Southern Tier awarded in this round, Hornell and us, it's a definite plus for us, our community and our residents.”
The Norwich DPW says replacement of all lead lines in the city will be a multi-year process, starting with review of city records to determine where and when lead lines have already been replaced. Water lines built prior to the 1930s are most susceptible.
“There's a lot that has been replaced already, but one of the first things we need to figure out is who has lead lines,” said DPW Superintendent Edward Pepe. “We have a log of all the service lines in the city. We'll start by going through that.”
Pepe said he's hopeful that state funds will be enough to replace all drinking water lead service lines throughout the city.
New York's 2019 budget continues the state's multi-year investment in drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, with an additional $500 million commitment that includes $10 million for the lead line replacement program.
“New York has invested unprecedented funding to protect drinking water quality including critical infrastructure projects that are underway across the state,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo stated. “This next round of funding advances our commitment to helping municipalities upgrade outdated systems, helping improve health and keep our communities thriving.”
Eligibility for municipalities to participate in the Lead Service Line Replacement Program was based on the percentage of children with elevated blood lead levels, median household income, and number of homes built before 1939 when lead service lines were used.
Norwich is one of only two cities in the Southern Tier awarded a total $1.06 million, half of which will go to Norwich and the other half to the City of Hornell.
Funds come from a larger $10 allocation from the New York State Department of Health earmarked to eliminate communities' residential drinking water lead service lines. The grant builds on a previous $20 million that's already been awarded across the state.
Awards are a key component of New York's $2.5 billion commitment to clean water infrastructure.
Norwich City Mayor Christine Carnrike said because this is a no-match grant, it could go a long way in assisting local residents. Homeowners will be reimbursed by the city, and the city reimbursed by the state.
“It's a unique grant in that sense. A lot of these grants require some contribution from the city,” she said. “When there's only two cities in the Southern Tier awarded in this round, Hornell and us, it's a definite plus for us, our community and our residents.”
The Norwich DPW says replacement of all lead lines in the city will be a multi-year process, starting with review of city records to determine where and when lead lines have already been replaced. Water lines built prior to the 1930s are most susceptible.
“There's a lot that has been replaced already, but one of the first things we need to figure out is who has lead lines,” said DPW Superintendent Edward Pepe. “We have a log of all the service lines in the city. We'll start by going through that.”
Pepe said he's hopeful that state funds will be enough to replace all drinking water lead service lines throughout the city.
New York's 2019 budget continues the state's multi-year investment in drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, with an additional $500 million commitment that includes $10 million for the lead line replacement program.
“New York has invested unprecedented funding to protect drinking water quality including critical infrastructure projects that are underway across the state,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo stated. “This next round of funding advances our commitment to helping municipalities upgrade outdated systems, helping improve health and keep our communities thriving.”
Eligibility for municipalities to participate in the Lead Service Line Replacement Program was based on the percentage of children with elevated blood lead levels, median household income, and number of homes built before 1939 when lead service lines were used.
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