Water quality in the Hudson River and its tributaries will benefit from a $320.8 million investment announced by Gov. Cuomo this week. Made possible by the landmark commitments to improving water infrastructure by New York State lawmakers, 36 projects will be funded in the Hudson River watershed, with the help of $53.3 million in state grants. (In addition to these wastewater projects, many drinking water infrastructure projects were funded, but are not tallied here.)
The most significant state investments in water and wastewater infrastructure in a generation, the Water Infrastructure Improvement Act and Clean Water Infrastructure Act are chipping away at the estimated $80 billion statewide need — the largest in the nation.
Our data shows that roughly 80% of water samples from the Hudson River Estuary are safe for swimming. That’s dramatically better than a generation ago, thanks to past investments in wastewater treatment. Today, we need to rehabilitate, replace and upgrade much of those pipes, plants and pump stations in order to maintain the improvements we’ve achieved, and continue to make progress, including in our tributaries, where water quality is often much worse than in the Hudson itself.
Each day, nearly 350 million gallons per day of treated sewage is discharged into the Hudson and its tributaries, north of New York City. The Hudson and its tributaries need well over $1 billion in wastewater improvements. (New York City alone will need to invest multiples of that.)
That’s why these investments are so important.
Here are some highlights of the projects announced this week, that state grants will help to fund:
- 23 projects totaling $118.0 million for the Hudson River Estuary watershed.
- 9 projects totaling $179.8 million for the Mohawk River watershed.
- 4 projects totaling $23.1 million for the Upper Hudson River watershed.
Monitoring projects by Riverkeeper, our partners and the 180 community scientists who volunteer time to gather samples, help point to where investments are most needed. But without money, there would be no investments. Riverkeeper has been a leader in the coalition that has advocated for […]
Full article: $321 million to improve Hudson water quality – Riverkeeper
More about the Hudson River water supply to New York:
Hudson River in Capital District consistently tests high for fecal bacteria in report
New York governor signs law mandating lead testing in schools
New York City’s $1 Billion Leaking Water Infrastructure Repair
New data shows NYC tap water is chock-full of toxic chemicals
