By JEFF MORRIS
State Sen. Pete Harckham and state Assemblymember Chris Burdick were among the elected officials and other local leaders who gathered in Ossining on Dec. 19 to call on Gov. Kathy Hochul to invest $600 million in the Clean Water Infrastructure Act in her proposed 2025-26 state budget.
Harckham, who represents Bedford and Lewisboro, and Burdick, who represents those towns plus Pound Ridge, joined with Assemblymember Steve Otis, labor leaders and others in a press conference at the Ossining Water Treatment Plant. That plant is itself to be replaced by the Indian Brook Water Treatment Plant, which was recently awarded $3 million from the NYS Green Innovation Grant Program and $10 million from the NYS Water Infrastructure Improvement Act grant program.
Those investments are part of over $3 billion in funding the state’s array of clean water programs have received since 2015. These have included drinking water and wastewater infrastructure improvements, like water main replacements, sewage treatment plant upgrades, and more. New York’s programs have been recognized as the most robust state clean water programs in the country, but advocates say more needs to be done to keep the momentum going and keep pace with a growing need.
“Now is the time to increase the state’s commitment in safeguarding our fragile drinking water supplies and water infrastructure,” said Harckham, who is chair of the senate’s Environmental Conservation Committee. “We have heard from municipalities statewide that crucial investments need to be in the budget from the start.”
Citing the example of investments made in Ossining, Harckham said, “More is needed. Simply, clean water infrastructure funding helps keep our communities safe and habitable, all while ensuring the costs do not get passed on to ratepayers.”
Harckham noted that clean water infrastructure investments are public works projects with public service union jobs that receive prevailing wages.
“This $600 million investment will be a real boost and investment in the economy of Main Street,” he added.
Otis, who represents Rye and adjacent towns, said New York’s clean water programs have helped fund water quality programs that “would not have been possible without the significant and consistent state commitment to support these efforts.” He said an increase in the state contribution is needed to make these projects affordable for local governments, water authorities, and sewer districts. “Sen. Harckham and our partners in labor, public health, and environmental advocacy agree that the time to increase New York state’s funding is now,” said Otis.
Burdick agreed. “We have been at the forefront of ensuring we have clean, safe water for all New Yorkers,” he said. “However, that often comes with a hefty price tag that can prevent critical work from being done. It is vital to our public health that we ramp up funding for clean water projects and ensure that they are approved in a timely manner. We must continue to lead the way for a healthy, safe environment here in Westchester County and throughout our entire state.”
State Sen. Shelley Mayer, who represents Pound Ridge, did not attend the press conference but also weighed in.
“I stand with Sen. Harckham, my colleagues, and environmental advocates to fight for a $600 million investment in the Clean Water Infrastructure Act in the NYS Executive Budget,” she said. “This substantial investment in safe and reliable drinking water infrastructure is critical for all our communities. We must do better for New Yorkers in the coming year and ensure this full amount of funding is included in the final adopted budget.”
According to clean water advocates, including the New York Clean Water Coalition and Citizens Campaign for the Environment, New York’s longstanding commitment to clean water programs has protected public health, created thousands of union jobs, reduced the burden on local property taxpayers, and kept water bills affordable. Over $132 million has been dedicated to over 50 projects across Westchester County from the Water Infrastructure Improvement Act and Intermunicipal Grant programs alone.
Harckham noted that in the 2024-25 adopted state budget, the governor and the legislature maintained the statewide annual commitment at $500 million, but demands on local governments have increased to protect drinking water and to meet increasing standards for sanitary sewer system treatment.
In addition, local governments need more resources to comply with new federal regulations to make drinking water cleaner. EPA recently enacted landmark requirements for water utilities to remove toxic PFAS chemicals from drinking water and replace 100 percent of lead pipes nationwide. He said more funding for the Clean Water Infrastructure Act is needed to ensure utilities can make these essential improvements without sharply increasing water rates, and the EPA estimates that over $80 billion is needed to repair New York’s aging and outdated water infrastructure.
These enormous needs are the reason Harckham and his fellow clean water advocates are now urging Hochul to include $600 million in this funding line in the 2025-26 proposed state budget. They noted the additional $100 million would be the first increase in this program since 2017.