SCHUMER CALLS ON EPA TO CUT RED TAPE AND STOP DELAYING CONTRACT FOR CANANDAIGUA TO PROTECT DRINKING WATER FOR 40,000 IN ONTARIO & WAYNE COUNTIES
Schumer Secured $1.75M In Fed Funding For Canandaigua to Upgrade Drinking Water System To Remove Toxic Chemicals Linked To Liver And Kidney Damage And Cancer
Despite Canandaigua Having All Its Paperwork In Order For Months, EPA Has Delayed Signing Final Agreement And If They Do Not Sign Off In Next 30 Days Construction Will Not Be Able To Begin As Planned
Schumer: EPA Must Cut Red Tape To Protect Thousands Of Families And Seniors Across Rochester-Finger Lakes
U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer today called on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to cut through the red tape and stop delays to help the City of Canandaigua install crucial equipment to remove disinfection by-product (DBP) chemicals – which have been linked to health issues including liver and kidney damage and cancer – from the water supply. Schumer explained that last year he secured $1.75 million in federal funding for Canandaigua, but the EPA has been dragging its feet on signing off on the final agreement, which the city needs in the next 30 days so construction can start this fall as planned.
“Every family and resident from Canandaigua to Walworth deserves access to clean and safe drinking water. I was proud to secure $1.75 million so Canandaigua can upgrade its drinking water system and eliminate harmful chemicals that have been linked to liver and kidney damage and cancer, but if the EPA doesn’t stop its delays the project can’t move forward. We need the EPA needs to cut the red tape and sign off on the final agreement so construction can start this fall as planned, not to do so risks both public health and good jobs,” said Senator Schumer. “Every day the EPA drags its feet it is jeopardizing the health and safety of over 40,000 New Yorkers across Ontario and Wayne Counties. I will always fight to keep New York’s drinking water clean and our communities safe and healthy.”
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 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies 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.
Canandaigua City Manager John Goodwin said, “We appreciate Senator Schumer’s support to secure and obligate this federal funding that will ensure that the City will continue to be able to provide high quality and safe drinking water to not just city residents, but to residents in towns across Ontario and Wayne County.”
The city needs the EPA to sign off on the final agreement so it has the funding it needs to go out to bid in the next 30 days and construction can start this fall as planned. Schumer in a letter to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin explained this funding is key to improving water quality for approximately 40,000 New Yorkers in Canandaigua and surrounding communities across Ontario and Wayne Counties.
Schumer’s letter to U.S. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin can be found HERE or below:
Dear Administrator Zeldin:
I write to express my deep concern regarding the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) unacceptable delay in finalizing the grant agreement necessary to release critical funding for the City of Canandaigua’s drinking water treatment system upgrade. This funding is essential to safeguard the health and safety of over 40,000 residents across Ontario and Wayne Counties, from Canandaigua itself to neighboring towns like Bristol, Hopewell, Farmington and Manchester and communities served by the Wayne County Water Authority like Macedon, Walworth, and Palmyra.
I was proud to secure a bi-partisan $1.75 million Congressionally Directed Spending investment in fiscal year 2024 to enable Canandaigua’s installation of crucial equipment to remove hazardous disinfection byproducts from the public water supply – chemicals which are known to cause serious health issues, including liver and kidney damage, as well as cancer. This project, developed through collaboration between city officials and state regulators, directly responds to urgent mandates to improve water quality and protect public health.
Now, despite the clear congressional intent and urgent public health need, the City of Canandaigua is facing severe uncertainty. The City must go out to bid within the next 30 days in order to begin design and construction this fall and stay on track to deliver safe, clean drinking water to its residents. Yet, EPA’s persistent delays in approving the final agreements threaten to derail this delicate timeline, jeopardizing both the health of thousands of New Yorkers and the public’s trust in federal responsiveness.
The EPA’s delay in obligating this funding is unacceptable and is placing entire communities at risk. Every day that passes without final approval raises the risks to public health, increases potential project costs, and undermines the ability of responsible municipalities to deliver safe and essential drinking water services to local residents, farms, businesses, and organizations.
Therefore, I urge EPA to immediately approve the final grant agreement and release the $1.75 million funding to allow the City of Canandaigua to move forward without delay. The lives, health, and well-being of tens of thousands of Upstate New Yorkers depend on swift and decisive action.
I stand ready to work with you to resolve any outstanding issues, but make no mistake: delay is not an option. The residents of Ontario and Wayne Counties deserve safe drinking water, and they deserve it without obstruction.
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