Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand revealed that the City of Cohoes will receive $2,500,000 in funding from the omnibus funding package for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 to be used to rehabilitate the city’s aging drinking water treatment facilities.
“Clean and safe drinking water is more than a human right; it’s a critical component of helping communities to grow healthy and strong,” said Senator Gillibrand. “I’m proud that I was able to secure $2.5 million in this year’s funding package to support the rehabilitation of the city’s aging drinking water treatment facilities. This is how we lay the foundation for the future.”
“These vital federal funds will be used for long-overdue remediation and rehabilitation of three water storage tanks. Senator Gillibrand understood that repairing and restoring these three water storage tanks now at a cost of $1.8 million made economic sense, rather than waiting and then having to replace the tanks at an estimated cost of $6 million. She also recognized the importance of investing to help accelerate the required rehabilitation of our 1911 Cohoes Water Treatment Plant.” Mayor Keeler said. “We are grateful to Senator Gillibrand for her commitment to help ensure clean drinking water is available to all, particularly for working class communities like Cohoes. This $2.5 million in federal funding that she has secured for the City of Cohoes Drinking Water Treatment Plant Rehabilitation Project will not only benefit our city but also neighboring communities including the Village of Green Island, the Town of Waterford, and some residents of the Town of Colonie served by our drinking water system.”
The City of Cohoes is undertaking an $18-million+ comprehensive rehabilitation of its aging drinking water treatment facilities. The federal funding will go toward the remediation and rehabilitation of three water storage tanks, and for the development of design and engineering documents necessary to complete a $9,600,000 Phase One of the required rehabilitation of the circa 1911 Cohoes Water Treatment Plant.
The Cohoes drinking water system currently serves a population of 16,883 (4,687 residential connections/60 industrial services). The facilities also serve neighboring communities including the Village of Green Island, the Town of Waterford, and some residents of the Town of Colonie.