Allegany, Cattaraugus county receive millions in funding
Complements Governor Kathy Hochul’s 2026 State of the State Historic $3.75 Billion Commitment to Water Quality
From the NYS DEC,
New York State recently announced more than $37 million in grants to support 29 water quality and climate resiliency projects in the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC’s) Region 9. The awards are part of more than $265 million in investments recently announced by Governor Kathy Hochul to help protect drinking water, improve climate resilience, update aging water infrastructure, reduce contributors to harmful algal blooms, and secure statewide access to clean water.
Today’s announcement is supported by funding from multiple grant programs administered by DEC and the Environmental Facilities Corporation (EFC) and investments from the Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act, Environmental Protection Fund, and other sources. The programs—Water Quality Improvement Project (WQIP), Non-Agricultural Nonpoint Source Planning and Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System Mapping Grant (NPG), and Resilient Watersheds Grant (RWG)—help protect communities and water quality while reinforcing the State’s support for municipalities by making these critical projects more affordable and minimizing the financial burden on local taxpayers.
DEC Region 9 Awards
Allegany County
- Allegany County Soil and Water Conservation District:
- $1.2 million through three $400,000 WQIP awards to work with the towns of Birdsall, Granger, and New Hudson to construct salt storage facilities in each of the three towns. The new structures will protect water quality in Black Creek, Rush Creek, and groundwater.
- $50,000 through NPG for a project to evaluate a segment of Rush Creek with significant streambank erosion. The study will focus on a site survey followed by identifying areas to reinforce bank stability.
- $50,000 through NPG to address sections of unstable and eroding streambanks along Caneadea Creek, surveying six areas of severe erosion and provide recommendations to reinforce the stability of the streambanks to withstand future flooding events.
- $50,000 through NPG to create a design report to address unmitigated stormwater runoff that causes shoreline erosion and direct sediment discharge in the Angelica Creek watershed. The assessment will identify intervention designs to stabilize the streambank.
- $75,000 through NPG to perform a comprehensive stream corridor assessment in the Cuba Lake watershed. The assessment will identify areas for streambank stabilization and riparian buffer restoration to ultimately reduce sediment loading into Cuba Lake.
Cattaraugus County
- Cattaraugus County Soil and Water Conservation District:
- $805,600 through WQIP for a culvert replacement project in the Town of Hindsdale. The project will eliminate a barrier to aquatic organism passage, connecting approximately one mile of trout habitat.
- $240,000 through WQIP for a salt storage facility construction project in the Town of Humphrey to protect the water quality of Wrights Creek and groundwater.
- $171,768 through WQIP to purchase live edge plow blades for plow trucks for the Cattaraugus County Department of Public Works and the Town of Carrollton Highway Department. The new equipment will reduce road salt application protecting groundwater and drinking water supplies.
