Rotterdam still hoping to secure water infrastructure funding

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ROTTERDAM — Town officials are planning to again apply for a state grant to help pay for more than $30 million in water infrastructure upgrades after missing out on funding last year — a move that will have major ramifications for thousands of residents.

The town last year applied for a $5 million Water Infrastructure Improvement Award grant through the state’s Environmental Facilities Corp. in order to pay down $34 million the town borrowed last year to fund upgrades throughout Water District No. 5 that are expected to begin in the coming months.

But when awards were announced last November through the governor’s office, Rotterdam was not among the more than two dozen projects that received a combined $279 million.

Supervisor Mollie Collins this week confirmed the town’s application was not funded, but noted the town will apply for funding through the program again this year.

“The application was deemed acceptable but they ran out of funding,” she said.

Collins said the town is still waiting to hear whether it will receive $5 million in funding to pay for more than $20 million in upgrades throughout Sewer District No. 2.

It’s unclear how much in grant funding the town would be eligible for next year. A spokesperson for the the Environmental Facilities Corp. said WIIA funding for 2023 has yet to be announced.

The grant funding has huge implications for the more than 10,000 residents that make up Water District No. 5, which has long be plagued by faulty water main lines that have ruptured, resulting in closed roadways to accommodate repairs and boil water advisories for residents.

Residents’ water rates are expected to increase as early as next year after the Town Board voted 4-1 in September to borrow $34 million to complete the upgrades. Board member Evan Christou was the lone dissenting vote, citing concerns about borrowing a large lump sum at one time.

But the overall impact to district users remains unclear and is expected to vary depending on how much grant funding is secured.

An estimate compiled by the engineering firm Barton & Loguidice last year determined that water rates for district residents could increase to $316 without the WIIA grant funding, more than double the rate of $134.84 for 2023.

The rate would increase to $295 if the town secures the $5 million grant, according to the estimate.

Only residents who live in Water District No. 5 would see an increase to their annual water bill.

Collins said a timeline for construction remains unclear since the project is still in the planning stage, but noted work could begin as early as the fall after the bidding process is completed in the spring.

The project encompasses a complete overhaul of the water district that has for years been subject to frequent water main breaks. The town has made patchwork repairs as they cropped up, but a complete upgrade was constantly pushed off by previous administrations.

Work would include digging a new well, installing new shutoff valves and fire hydrants as well as 3.5 miles of new pipe. A 30-inch pipe will also be installed, replacing an existing 20-inch transmission line that runs from the Rice Road well field along West Campbell Road, Burdeck Street and North Thompson Street.

“Hopefully, with the grants and different things that we applied for, it will keep the cost down to a minimum for residents,” Collins said.

Contact reporter Chad Arnold at: [email protected] or by calling 518-395-3120.

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