On January 18, 2017, the OCWA Board unanimously passed the following resolution in strong support of Governor Cuomo’s proposed $2 billion Clean Water Infrastructure Act of 2017:

Whereas, aging water infrastructure is a critical problem in New York State and throughout the country. According to the report Buried No Longer: Confronting America’s Water Infrastructure Challenge (AWWA), buried infrastructure alone will require more than $1.7 trillion in funding through 2050, and

Whereas, OCWA–Central New York’s Water Authority–has recognized the concern with aging water infrastructure and has taken proactive steps to address it. OCWA spends on average $10 million per year for improvements across its five-county service territory, including replacement of water mains, upgrading of storage/pumping facilities and improving treatment processes, and

Whereas, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has proposed the $2 billion Clean Water Infrastructure Act as part of the 2017-18 New York State Budget. The Act, among other things, would fund:

  • Installation of advanced treatment and filtration systems to treat and remove both regulated and unregulated contaminants found in drinking water.
  • Upgrade of aging distribution and treatment systems, including replacement of lead service lines in low income communities
  • Connection of contaminated private drinking water wells to regulated public drinking water systems,

and

Whereas, OCWA wishes to continue its proactive efforts to update and modernize its public drinking water infrastructure in order to benefit the general public by providing safe, reliable drinking water at an affordable price.

Now, therefore be it

Resolved, that OCWA does hereby express its strong support for the proposed Clean Water Infrastructure Act of 2017 to provide $2 billion to upgrade municipal drinking water systems, improve municipal wastewater systems and protect drinking water and its source, and be it further

Resolved, that such support shall be publicized to the Central New York community and copies of this resolution shall be provided to New York State legislators serving in OCWA’s service territory.