Crumbling Upstate sewers need federal funding, Schumer says

WASHINGTON — North country water and sewer systems may need as much as $748 million in repairs during the next two decades, but a federal program that helps cover such expenses has been shrinking sharply, Sen. Charles E. Schumer said Wednesday.

Mr. Schumer, D-N.Y., cited the cost estimates from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in calling for full funding of the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Loan Fund to help meet those needs.

“New York has some of the oldest sewer and water systems in the country, and they desperately must be repaired and upgraded,” Mr. Schumer said in a news release. “But that need represents an opportunity — the chance to put thousands of New Yorkers back to work over the next several years, helping rebuild infrastructure that is absolutely essential for our urban, suburban and rural communities alike.”

Mr. Schumer cited EPA estimates, compiled by the Gannett news organization, that show the anticipated repair costs of facilities in each county of New York. In Jefferson County, for instance, the EPA estimates the city of Watertown’s wastewater treatment plant will need $74.9 million in repairs during the next 20 years.

The Watertown plant manager, Michael J. Sligar, said Wednesday that the figure isn’t familiar to him and likely is an EPA projection based on past capital investment in the plant.

Mr. Schumer’s report said there are 89 anticipated repair projects in several Northern New York counties. Gannett created a database of the projects statewide.

In St. Lawrence County, the city of Ogdensburg’s sewage treatment plant is projected to need more than $55 million in repairs during that period. The village of Potsdam’s plant will need $43.8 million in repairs, according to the report.

Sewer and drinking water plants and systems throughout upstate New York need about $7.2 billion in repairs, the EPA projected.

Mr. Schumer asked House and Senate lawmakers to maintain funding at last year’s level for the revolving loan fund, as the House has generally taken a more aggressive approach to cutting domestic programs.