New York State Forms New Collaborative to Investigate Infrastructure Crisis

NY Governor Paterson established the statewide Clean Water Collaborative to help tackle a looming water infrastructure crisis facing New York State. 

The NYS DEC estimates that repairs for municipal wastewater treatment systems statewide will be $36.2 billion to meet federal requirements, while repairs for drinking-water infrastructure could exceed $20 billion in the same 20-year period. Additionally, federal support for water infrastructure has plummeted roughly 70 percent in the last two decades, delaying critical maintenance and contributing to violations of the Clean Water Act. Hundreds of sewage and wastewater treatment facilities have deteriorated.

Aging wastewater infrastructure is tied directly to the quality of New York State's waters. A DEC study documented the correlation between wastewater infrastructure and water quality, finding that water quality declines when infrastructure is retained beyond its design life or is inadequately maintained. Many of the state's sewage and wastewater facilities are past their design lives; 30 percent of the sewer pipes across the state were installed just after World War II, and a quarter of wastewater treatment plants are more than 30 years old. 

Governor Paterson established the statewide Clean Water Collaborative to further identify and work on funding for this critical infrastructure. The members of this group have diverse backgrounds in environmental, business, labor and state and local government. Additional information can be found in the March 2008 DEC report entitled "Wastewater Infrastructure Needs of New York State." http://www.dec.ny.gov/environmentdec/46204.html