U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is highlighting nearly $13 million in federal funding for Troy’s lead service line replacement effort.
The New York Democrat says $3.9 million of the $12.8 million granted through the Bipartisan Infrastructure and Jobs Law is an interest free loan for the replacement of lead-contaminated water lines. Schumer says the city is leading the way with more than 51 percent of its lines inventoried ahead of an October state deadline to tally all service lines.
“My message to every city in the Capital Region is apply. It's a first come first serve basis,” Schumer said. “Why Troy is getting such a big grant is the good work they've done on their own. So, to every locality, whether you'd be a city or village town, apply, apply, apply.”
The grant follows a previous $500,000 federal investment and millions in American Rescue Plan Act funding. Schumer says the more that residents participate and get their lines tested, the more funding that’s available. Schumer adds that older municipalities are apt to receive a disproportionally larger amount of funding.
“Up there in, you know, Saratoga County, all these new homes, they don't have lead pipes, so they won't get it as much as the older places,” Schumer said.
The city began the process of inventorying and replacing its contaminated pipes last year when residents began questioning why the city hadn’t spent $500,000 in state grant funding to replace aging lead service lines. Former Mayor Patrick Madden, a Democrat, told WAMC that the city hadn’t spent the money because the funding would only be a drop in the bucket to fix the problem. Following public input, the city began the process with only 10 percent of the necessary funding.
Since then, the city has replaced approximately 200 of the roughly 2,800 contaminated lines.
Mayor Carmella Mantello says the city’s Lansingburgh and Eastside neighborhoods are the most effected.
“We're hitting clusters. So, what we're trying to do instead of doing a one-off here and there, we're trying to cluster the homes,” Mantello said. “The next stop will be Highland Ave., that's over near Sycaway and between Eastside and Sycaway there's about 13 homes and we're coupling that with all the other projects.”
The Republican has vowed to replace all contaminated lines in her first four-year term and calls it an all-hands-on-deck effort.
“A lot of people are saying it's impossible. I never say it's impossible, in my eyes, it's possible. And if we don't get there, we don't get there. But I'm going to do everything humanly possible with our team, and outside contractors to get that done,” Mantello said. “So now we have funding, but we can stop here.”
State Senator Jake Ashby, a Republican from the 43rd District, says replacing lead pipes throughout the region is an ongoing, bipartisan issue.
“I think oftentimes people wonder what the priorities are, whether it's Albany or D.C. because of all the fighting and just discourse,” Ashby said. “It's nice to see and it gives me kind of renews my hope a little bit and that we have things like this going on, larger infrastructure projects that gain bipartisan support that we know are going to serve the people for generations.”
Mantello says the next step is to engage landlords who own several properties.
