The Amsterdam wastewater facility is getting $10 million from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for facility upgrades.
DEC commissioner Basil Seggos says the state is in a "renaissance period of environmental investment.” He was in Amsterdam Friday to celebrate the funding, just one of 200 projects statewide intended to reinforce water quality totaling almost $200 million.
"And we're there because people understand that this hidden infrastructure is so vital to the protection of what matters the most to communities. And it's often our waterfronts, the beautiful waterfront here in Amsterdam. Our parks, our open spaces around the state, the water we drink, the air we breathe. All that relies on the legislature and executive coming together and saying 'yes, we will make this a priority,'" explained Seggos.
The outgoing commissioner says the funding is the result of years of cooperation between DEC and environmental allies in the state legislature.
“We have a $5.5 billion fund for clean water projects like this. We’re loaning out a billion dollars a year through Environmental Facilities Corporation. This year the governor is proposing another $500 million for wastewater infrastructure – I know that’ll be negotiated over the next few weeks up until the closure of the budget. And this on top of what the voters said ‘yes’ to last year, a $4.2 billion Bond Act,” said Seggos.
On a tour of the aging facility, city engineer Mike Clark said the funds will help upgrade its aeration capabilities.
“We have difficulty really controlling our DO, dissolved oxygen, we need to automate that and like you were mentioning about taking advantage of today’s technology, we really want to be able to control that DO based on water temperature and the air temperature in real time,” said Clark.
Clark said with an upgraded automatic electrical system, the plant will save around $100,000 per year.
Clark said the $17 million facility overhaul will also upgrade the plant’s capacity.
“We plan to add about at least 30 inches to the sidewall heights of these two clarifiers, to give us better hydraulics. And, where that driller is, we’re going to add a third, and this is a huge part of the project, we’re going to add a third 108 foot diameter secondary clarifier to really give us the ability to treat our normal and high water flows,” said Clark.
Democratic Amsterdam Mayor Michael Cinquanti said the importance of a healthy ecosystem as well as a state-of-the-art water treatment plant cannot be overstated.
“The wastewater treatment services this facility has provided during the time has not only made the communities it serves cleaner, safer, and healthier, it has also helped restore the health and beauty of the Mohawk River that flows through the center of our city and once again made that river one of Amsterdam’s greatest economic development assets,” explained Cinquanti.
State Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara, a Democrat from the 111th district, is a former civil engineer. He says it’s important to be proactive with infrastructure investments.
“So, I know how important this infrastructure is, it’s what makes cities work. And, although it’s hidden, it’s behind the scenes, pipes are underground, most of the time we don’t see them, we don’t hear about them unless there’s a problem. But, it’s like anything else like the mayor said, things over time need maintenance, they need investment, and it’s not just what we see here, it’s the infrastructure that goes throughout the city,” said Santabarbara.
Last year, Governor Kathy Hochul announced $479 million in environmental grants, with a goal of Disadvantaged Communities receiving at least 35%.
