FOLLOWING HIS PUSH, SCHUMER ANNOUNCES EPA RELEASES $1.75 MILLION IN FED FUNDING TO PROTECT DRINKING WATER FOR 40,000 IN ONTARIO & WAYNE COUNTIES

Earlier This Spring, Schumer Called On EPA To Release $1.75M In Fed Funding He Secured For Canandaigua To Upgrade Drinking Water System To Remove Toxic Chemicals Linked To Liver And Kidney Damage And Cancer

Canandaigua Had All Its Paperwork In Order For Months But Red Tape At The EPA Had Been Holding Up Progress, But Now Thanks To Schumer’s Push, Construction Can Begin As Planned

Schumer: Fed $$ On The Way For Clean Water Across Ontario & Wayne Counties

After calling on the EPA to cut through the red tape for the City of Canandaigua to install crucial equipment to remove disinfection by-product (DBP) chemicals from drinking water, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer announced the EPA has heeded his calls and released federal funding for the city to begin construction. Schumer explained the City of Canandaigua will remove disinfection by-product (DBP) chemicals – which have been linked to health issues including liver and kidney damage and cancer – from the water supply that over 40,000 New Yorkers across Ontario and Wayne Counties rely on.

“Access to clean water and modern water-sewer systems are fundamental, and soon thousands more families from Canandaigua to Walworth will have access to cleaner drinking water. I was proud to secure $1.75 million in federal funding so Canandaigua can upgrade its drinking water system and eliminate harmful chemicals that have been linked to liver and kidney damage and cancer. When I heard the final agreement still hadn’t been signed, I pushed the EPA to release these funds ASAP so construction can start soon,” said Senator Schumer. “Now, this federal funding can start flowing to boost public health for over 40,000 New Yorkers across Ontario and Wayne Counties while creating good-paying jobs. I will always fight to keep New York’s drinking water clean and our communities safe and healthy.”

Now that the EPA has signed off on the final agreement and released this federal funding, the City of Canandaigua can begin construction as planned. The city needed the EPA to sign off on the final agreement for construction to move forward, but had previously faced weeks of delays.

Disinfection by-products (DBP) have recently been found in excess of the maximum contaminant level established by the EPA in the water of systems that have purchased the city’s water. Schumer secured $1.75 million in federal funding in the Fiscal Year 2024 Consolidated Appropriations Act to enable the City of Canandaigua to install a new aeration system into its three water storage tanks that will eliminate the DPA chemicals. This system will specifically integrate aerators and mixers into the city’s water storage tanks to eliminate the harmful DBPs from the drinking water supply. These DBPs are formed when disinfectants, like chlorine, react with naturally occurring substances in the water which have known toxicity and carcinogenic impacts that have been linked to liver and kidney damage and cancer.

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