New York State has awarded nearly $66 million in grants to seven communities to replace lead service lines and upgrade drinking water infrastructure. The funding supports local projects that previously received federal assistance through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) but require additional resources to cover full replacement costs.
Awards include $14 million each for New York City, Poughkeepsie, and Rochester; $10.48 million for Lockport; $4.77 million for Oswego; $3.82 million for the Mohawk Valley Water Authority; $3.45 million for Buffalo; and $1.35 million for Gloversville. The grants target historically disadvantaged communities.
The State’s Lead Infrastructure Forgiveness and Transformation (LIFT) initiative will use the funding to retire remaining project financing once construction is complete. This structure prevents additional costs from being passed to local ratepayers.
Municipalities will use the grants to identify and replace lead service lines in older neighborhoods where lead plumbing materials remain common. New York continues to advance statewide lead pipe removal efforts, supported by federal IIJA allocations and State water infrastructure programs. The State has not announced project timelines for each community.