SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND ANNOUNCE MORE THAN $1.7 MILLON IN FED FUNDING FOR WATER INFRASTRUCTURE UPGRADES IN TOWNS OF ARCADIA AND SODUS
Fed Investment Will Allow Towns In Wayne County To Make Critical Water System Upgrades
U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand today announced $1,770,000 in federal funding for the Towns of Arcadia and Sodus, located in Wayne County, to make new investments in local water infrastructure. The funding was allocated through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Development Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant Program. Specifically, for the Town of Arcadia, this funding comes in the form of a $500,000 grant and a $961,000 low-interest loan. This federal investment will allow the town to access municipal water sources and bring residents on to the public water source. The Town of Sodus will receive a $138,000 grant and a $171,000 low-interest loan that will allow it to extend its public water system along South Geneva Road, thereby bringing more residents municipal water. It will do this by connecting the road to the town’s existing water system. Schumer and Gillibrand said this is critical because many residents are facing issues with well-water sources due to this summer’s drought.
“With these new funds, the Towns of Arcadia and Sodus will be better able to provide municipal water access to more residents, and particularly those running out of water due to this summer’s drought,” said Senator Schumer. “These infrastructure upgrades will help ensure that our water systems are operating safely and conveniently for the people of Arcadia and Sodus for years to come. Nothing is more important than making sure our families have access to clean drinking water, and I’m committed to delivering the resources our local communities need to provide it.”
“These federal funds will allow the Towns of Arcadia and Sodus to increase access to municipal water sources the community,” said Senator Gillibrand, a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. “This upgrade to the towns’ water infrastructure will help protect the health and quality of life for residents by delivering clean water to more local families.”
"Until now, The Town of Arcadia has been ineligible for USDA Rural Development funding due to the Village of Newark's population being combined with ours, putting us over the ten thousand person threshold,” said Jon Verkey, Supervisor of the Town of Arcadia. “This is the first time in seven years we have been able to acquire funding which will allow the Town of Arcadia to have municipal water, as many people are running out, due to drought. I believe this is a great accomplishment for the Town of Arcadia and will further improve the quality of life here for all residents."
"I can't thank USDA Rural Development enough for funding yet another water project in our town,” said Steven LeRoy, Supervisor of the Town of Sodus. “In the 11 years I've been Supervisor of the Town of Sodus, we have nearly tripled our public water system. With these funds, we will have the ability to further extend our public water system along South Geneva Road via a connection to the existing Town water system. This project as well as other essential infrastructure projects for the Town of Sodus have been a direct result of the great support we've received from Rural Development.”
USDA Rural Development’s Water and Waste Disposal Program provides loans and grants to ensure that the necessary investments are made in water and wastewater infrastructure to deliver safe drinking water and protect the environment in rural areas.
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