Capital Region projects get $18M in grants for water quality, climate resilience

CAPITAL REGION, NY (WRGB) — Multiple water quality and climate resiliency projects in the Capital Region are set to receive millions of dollars in grant funding from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).

The five projects in the region are more than $18 million, they are part of a larger investment announced by Governor Hochul to protect drinking water, improve climate resilience, update aging water infrastructure, among other initiatives.

In Albany County, the Albany Water Board will receive $2.5 million through the Quality Improvement Project (WQIP) for a rehabilitation project that will increase spillway capacity to improve flood resiliency and protect Basic Creek Reservoir’s downstream homes and businesses.

The Water Board is set to receive another $2.5 million f=through the QWIP program for a rehabilitation project at the Rensselaer Lake Dam. The project will increase slope stability and help prevent failures that could impact downstream residences, commercial areas, and major transportation corridors.

In the city of Cohoes, also through WQIP, they are receiving $836,939 for sewer overflow screening improvement projects to install screening technology to the regulator at its largest combined sewer overflow outfall, removing floatables from discharges during storm events and improving water quality in the Mohawk and Hudson rivers.

In Columbia County, the company, Trout Unlimited, Inc. will get $601,147 through WQIP to reconnect, restore, and enhance fish and wildlife habitat, including culvert restoration and 1,000 feet of in-stream and riparian buffer habitat along the Stony Kill, increasing aquatic organism passage and flood resiliency.

Over in Greene County, the Village of Tannersville will get $1.2 million through WQIP for a dam repair project at Reservoir #3 to improve flood resiliency and protect downstream infrastructure.

Also in the county, the Town of Catskill will get $907,340 through the Watersheds Grant (RWG) for a Kaaterskill Creek project to replace culverts and conduct road reconstruction on Pennsylvania Avenue.

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.