U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced $115,872,995.47 in federal funding for Sandy-related repairs throughout New York City. The funding was allocated through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) under authority of Section 406 of the Robert T. Stafford Act and will be used to repair and make more resilient damaged electrical conduits at fifteen wastewater treatment facilities that was caused by Hurricane Sandy.
“After Superstorm Sandy ravaged our shoreline, we learned that we not only have to repair our infrastructure but we have to rebuild better than before,” said Senator Schumer. “This massive federal investment will help make sure New York City’s waste water treatment plants are more resilient in the event of a future storm without leaving local residents on the hook for the expenses. And these improvements will keep pollution out of our local waterways and protect the public health.”
“This critical FEMA funding will help provide much needed resources on the ground to help New York City rebuild as recovery efforts continue,” said Senator Gillibrand. “Superstorm Sandy devastated our communities and this federal funding will help cover the cost of repairing conduits to several waste water treatment facilities caused by Superstorm Sandy. I will continue to fight for funding to rebuild our infrastructure even stronger so we can be prepared when the next storm hits.”
“Our wastewater treatment plants are critical to the health of our city. This funding will ensure that we’re not simply repairing this vital infrastructure, but also making it more resilient for the future,” said Mayor de Blasio. “Thank you to Senators Schumer and Gillibrand for their continued leadership as we rebuild a stronger, more resilient New York City.”
“The City’s wastewater treatment plants require a reliable flow of power in order to protect public health and our local waterways,” said Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Emily Lloyd. “Thanks to this funding secured by our federal partners, Senators Schumer and Gillibrand, we will repair and make more resilient critical electrical conduits that were damaged during Hurricane Sandy at wastewater treatment plants in all five boroughs.”
The funding provided to New York City covers expenses incurred for labor, equipment, materials, administrative costs, contract performed services, and other costs necessary for undertaking the project.
DEP operates 7,500 miles of sewers, 96 pumping stations, and 14 wastewater treatment plants that employs advanced biological and chemical processes to treat more than 1.3 billion gallons of wastewater to federal Clean Water Act standards every day. Hurricane Sandy’s storm surge inundated many of the facilities with sea water that damaged critical electrical conduits.