New York Approves $200M for Water Projects, Including $5M for Rochester Filters

The New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation board has approved a $200 million package of grants and low cost financing for drinking water, sewer and stormwater projects across the state, including a $5 million grant for Rochester's water filtration plant and new water main work in Geneseo and Romulus, Governor Kathy Hochul announced on October 22, 2026 (Office of the Governor).

The package is separate from the nearly $500 million in water grants for 106 projects announced earlier the same week, which was the first installment of the state's $3.75 billion water infrastructure plan (FingerLakes1.com). We covered that round in New York Awards Nearly $500M in Water Grants, $52M to Finger Lakes. This week's approvals add another layer of funded municipal work, much of it large treatment plant and lead service line scope.

What Happened

The EFC board approved financing drawn from the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds, federal grants, and state grants awarded between 2022 and 2025 through the Water Infrastructure Improvement and Intermunicipal Water Infrastructure grant programs. The package also includes the Governor's Lead Infrastructure Forgiveness and Transformation (LIFT) grants, which cover lead service line costs beyond what federal grants pay (Office of the Governor).

The state says the two revolving funds together provide more than $1 billion a year in low cost financing and grants. It also says its state water grant programs have saved ratepayers more than $8.3 billion since 2015 (FingerLakes1.com). FingerLakes1 also reported that the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act support, which has boosted the revolving funds since 2022, ends this year (FingerLakes1.com).

EFC President and CEO Maureen A. Coleman said, "These projects are often among the largest and most capital-intensive investments a municipality will undertake," and said the mix of grants and low cost financing is meant to close funding gaps (Office of the Governor).

Finger Lakes Projects

• City of Rochester: A $5 million state grant to replace the filter underdrain system, modify backwash supply header piping and improve filter gates at its water treatment facility (Office of the Governor). Mayor Malik Evans thanked the state and noted that aging infrastructure only gets more expensive to fix over time (FingerLakes1.com).
• Village of Geneseo: A $1.9 million package combining a state grant and low cost financing to replace 3,300 linear feet of water mains, hydrants, valves and meters, and to eliminate 20 lead service lines on Oak and Second streets. Mayor Christopher Ivers said the work will replace aging infrastructure while protecting historic buildings on streets that include longtime residents, college rentals and group homes (FingerLakes1.com).
• Town of Romulus: An $830,328 federal grant to replace 8,600 linear feet of water main in the Willard Water District and add flushing hydrants on dead end mains. FingerLakes1 reported the work covers Main Street, County Routes 132 and 132A, Prospect Street and Route 96A (FingerLakes1.com).

Projects Across the State

The full list published by the governor's office covers every region. Highlights include:

• Mid Hudson: The largest dollar figures in the package go to the Westchester Joint Water Works Rye Lake Water Filtration Plant, with $40.3 million in low cost financing to the Village of Harrison, $12.1 million to the Town of Mamaroneck and $20 million to the Village of Mamaroneck. The City of Poughkeepsie receives $2.5 million to replace filter media and underdrains in six dual media filters, and the Town of Rosendale receives $3 million in interest free financing for phase two of a 500,000 gallon storage tank replacing the Sand Hill tank.
• Central New York: Syracuse receives a $16.1 million federal grant and interest free financing for sanitary and storm sewer separation in the Sedgwick and Eastwood neighborhoods. Onondaga County receives a $1.2 million state grant for gravity sludge thickener improvements at the Metropolitan Syracuse Wastewater Treatment Plant, and the Town of Forestport receives $1.3 million for disinfection upgrades.
• North Country: The Village of Chateaugay receives $18 million in grants and financing for wastewater plant upgrades, and the Town of Morristown receives a $9.9 million package for water main replacement and extension, tank rehabilitation, meters and a new ultrafiltration treatment plant replacing a diatomaceous earth plant.
• Southern Tier: The Village of New Berlin receives $14.9 million to replace about 32,500 linear feet of water main, add manganese greensand filtration for two wells, abandon a third well, install residential meters and upgrade a 400,000 gallon storage tank.
• Western New York: The Village of Delevan receives a $14.9 million state grant and interest free financing for a new wastewater collection system.
• Mohawk Valley: Gloversville's $12.2 million project will replace 1,791 lead service lines, and the Village of Herkimer's $13.2 million project will replace 1,687 lead service lines. In both cases the LIFT grant pays off the financing, making the projects fully grant funded. The Town of Herkimer receives $680,000 for a new storage tank, a replacement pump station and water main work.
• Long Island: Hampton Bays Water District receives $4.7 million for granular activated carbon treatment at Plant No. 3. Suffolk County Water Authority receives $2.6 million for an advanced oxidation system to remove 1,4-dioxane at the Oxhead Road Well Field, and Suffolk County receives $1.5 million for an investigation and feasibility study of PFOA and PFOS contamination at its Firematics facility.
• Capital Region: Washington County receives a $6.2 million federal grant to upgrade its Sewer District No. 2 wastewater plant.

(Office of the Governor)

Gloversville Mayor Gary J. Antonucci said the LIFT program lets the city make the improvements "without placing an additional debt burden on our taxpayers" (Office of the Governor).

Other officials echoed the affordability message. Hochul said, "Every New Yorker deserves access to clean, safe water," and State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said the governor "stands committed to helping communities affordably update their drinking water systems." Syracuse Mayor Owens, whose city receives one of the larger federal awards for sewer separation, called the funding "a decisive investment in strengthening New York's infrastructure." The common thread in the statements is that grants and below market financing are being used to keep large capital projects from translating directly into higher water and sewer rates (Office of the Governor).

Where Things Stand

• The EFC board has approved the financing and grants. Individual municipalities still control design, bidding and construction schedules, which the announcement does not list.
• EFC is separately accepting applications for $45 million in Green Resiliency Grants, and its Community Assistance Teams offer one on one help to municipalities preparing applications (FingerLakes1.com).
• The state says it has provided $10.6 billion for local water projects since 2021.
• This round follows the $500 million grant round and precedes awards from the new $225 million Clean Water for Housing program, which we covered in New York Opens $225M Clean Water for Housing Grants for Municipalities.

Implications for Owners, Developers, Contractors and Subs

For municipal owners: The approvals show how EFC is stacking funding sources. Lead service line projects in Gloversville and Herkimer become fully grant funded through LIFT forgiveness, and larger plants such as Rye Lake are being carried mostly with low cost financing. Communities that have engineering reports and environmental reviews finished are best positioned to move into construction.

For general contractors and water specialists: The scope list points to a wide range of bid packages over the next year or two: filter rehabilitation and underdrain replacement in Rochester and Poughkeepsie, new treatment plants and process upgrades, storage tanks, wastewater plant equipment replacement, and long linear runs of water main. Most of these will be publicly bid by the municipality, so contractors should watch local bid boards and confirm any federal funding requirements, such as American Iron and Steel provisions and prevailing wage rules, in the bid documents.

For pipe, site and utility subcontractors: The linear footage is significant. New Berlin alone covers about 32,500 feet of main, Romulus 8,600 feet and Geneseo 3,300 feet, and the Mohawk Valley lead line programs together cover nearly 3,500 service lines. Syracuse's sewer separation work adds more underground scope in a dense city setting.

For Rochester area firms: The $5 million Rochester filter project is a process mechanical job at an operating treatment facility, which typically requires careful phasing to keep the plant in service. That type of work favors contractors with treatment plant experience and strong coordination with plant operators. Local readers may also want to revisit the Village of Webster's recently completed $16 million wastewater plant upgrade for a sense of how these projects are delivered in Monroe County.

What to Watch

• Bid timing: Watch for Rochester, Geneseo and Romulus to advertise these projects once design is complete.
• Federal funding cliff: With IIJA support to the revolving funds ending this year, the size of future state rounds will depend more heavily on state appropriations.
• Remaining installments: The $500 million grant round was described as the first installment of a $3.75 billion plan, so more announcements are likely.
• Emerging contaminants: The Long Island approvals for 1,4-dioxane and PFOA/PFOS work show that treatment for emerging contaminants remains a priority and a growing niche for specialty contractors.

Bottom Line

The $200 million EFC package adds a broad set of funded water and sewer projects to an already busy pipeline, with Finger Lakes work in Rochester, Geneseo and Romulus and major treatment plant financing downstate. For contractors, the takeaway is steady municipal water work across every region of the state, much of it moving toward bidding over the next several months.

Related Coverage

• New York Awards Nearly $500M in Water Grants, $52M to Finger Lakes
• New York Opens $225M Clean Water for Housing Grants for Municipalities
• Village of Webster Completes $16M Wastewater Plant Upgrade
• Rochester Gets $14M for Lead Pipe Replacement

Image credit: Office of the Governor of New York State. Image from the source article.

Sources

• Office of the Governor of New York State, "Governor Hochul Announces $200 Million to Help Communities Modernize Water Infrastructure Without Overburdening Ratepayers": https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-announces-200-million-help-communities-modernize-water-infrastructure-without
• FingerLakes1.com, "Romulus water project gains state funding approval": https://www.fingerlakes1.com/2026/10/23/romulus-water-project-gain-state-funding-approval/