Sunday, December 8, 2024
$37.2 million was awarded to the Village of Hempstead for their ongoing water treatment infrastructure improvement project to remove 1,4-dioxane, polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAs) and other chemicals from the drinking water.
The money was awarded by Governor Kathy Hochul on Nov. 1 as a part of the Water Infrastructure Improvement and Intermunicipal Grant programs, which involve distributing more than $435 million to 102 critical water infrastructure projects across New York State, including Hempstead, according to the news release.
These funds are the second allotment Hempstead has received for their new water project. On Sept. 23, the Nassau County Legislature voted unanimously to release $1.75 million in American Rescue Plan Act for the initial stages of the treatment project, which is the demolition of the current water meter shop and the start of the construction of a new treatment building.
The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 allocated $12.75 billion to New York for “critical response and recovery efforts related to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic,” according to the Budget.ny.gov.
Nassau County received $385 million, and according to the Nassau County government website, the funds must be allocated by the end of 2024 and expended by the end of 2026, as previously reported by the Herald.
All of this money comes after a long campaign by Legislators Scott Davis and Siela Bynoe, who continuously pushed for ARPA funding and other money to fix the village’s water infrastructure.
“Paired with our Legislative ARPA allotment, this significant influx of state resources will enable Hempstead Village to remove 1,4-dioxane from its drinking water, replace the region’s oldest water infrastructure with a state-of-the-art filtration system and ease the tax burden that would have otherwise been placed upon Village business owners and its 59,000 residents,” Legislator Davis said in a statement following the announcement.
“Legislator Bynoe and I appreciate the Governor’s recognition of this pivotal issue,” he also said in the statement, “and we remain steadfast in my commitment to enhancing and safeguarding the purity of Nassau County’s drinking water.”
