Senator Chuck Schumer is claiming the federal EPA is delaying help to the city of Canandaigua so that it may install equipment to remove disinfection by-product (DBP) chemicals from the water supply.
The former House Majority Leader said the chemicals have been linked to health issues, including liver and kidney damage and cancer. DBP has 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 for the Ontario County city last year, but claims 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.”
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.”
Schumer’s letter to U.S. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin is below:
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