Apr. 06, 2009

County Executive Andy Spano announced today that Westchester County would receive $55 million in federal stimulus funding to help finance construction at its sewage treatment plants along the Long Island Sound.

Spano thanked federal representatives as well as state officials for the funds, which came from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act through the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation. Read about other federal stimulus projects in Westchester.

These federal dollars will not only create hundreds of jobs and help to stimulate the local economy, but they will offset the cost of mandated construction at sewage treatment plants in New Rochelle and Mamaroneck that would have had to be entirely funded by rate payers,’’ said Spano. “We thank our state and federal officials for helping us to obtain these funds that will go a long way to relieving the burden on our local residents while cleaning up the Long Island Sound.’’

"I am pleased the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has resulted in Westchester County receiving this assistance for upgrading our water treatment infrastructure,” said Congresswoman Nita Lowey (NY-18). During drafting of the federal stimulus bill, Lowey advocated strongly to include funding for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF), the fund that helps states upgrade and modernize their water treatment infrastructure. “Upgrading these plants will create jobs and protect the Sound Shore, and this federal assistance will protect Westchester County taxpayers from footing the entire bill.”

U.S. Sen. Charles E. Schumer said, “This critical investment will not only create jobs during a time in which they are desperately needed, it will also help keep our waterways clean, and allow Westchester County to comply with state and federal mandates that would otherwise have cost local taxpayers millions of dollars.”

Westchester County applied to the state for funding back in January shortly after President Obama announced that federal assistance would be made available through the state. The county argued that it was the perfect project to receive the funds since it would create jobs as well as accomplish a clean water goal required by the state and federal governments. The county received the largest amount of money in the first round of grants announced Friday by the NYS Environmental Facilities Corporation, which administers the funds. The state received at total of $432 million to distribute to county and local governments.

The $55 million to upgrade the Mamaroneck wastewater treatment plant for biological nutrient removal will help Westchester comply with a federal and state mandate that requires it to spend $235 million to improve the plants to reduce the amount of nitrogen released into the Long Island Sound. Nitrogen depletes oxygen that plant and aquatic life need to remain healthy and has an impact on water quality.

The Mamaroneck project is expected to create 70 short-term construction jobs and 20 longer term engineering jobs. The New Rochelle construction is expected to create 110 construction jobs and 20 engineering jobs. The construction is expected to generate 145 more jobs through the purchase of equipment and services.

Since the county is borrowing funds in one lump sum for all the projects the money will help to offset the total cost to rate payers in Sound Shore sewer districts even though the stimulus funds are designated only for the Mamaroneck project.