Nine water quality and infrastructure projects in Ontario and Wayne counties will receive state grant funding aimed at protecting drinking water, improving climate resilience and upgrading aging systems.
The awards were announced by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and Gov. Kathy Hochul as part of the state’s Water Quality Improvement Project Program and related grant initiatives.
Seven projects in Ontario County were selected for funding. The town of Canandaigua will receive a combined $4.8 million through the Water Quality Improvement Program to acquire 70 acres of land to protect Canandaigua Lake, a primary drinking water source for approximately 70,000 residents, and to replace two undersized culverts that have contributed to erosion and flooding. The culverts will be replaced with box culverts designed to better handle stream flow and improve aquatic connectivity within the watershed.
The Ontario County Soil and Water Conservation District will receive $1.58 million for a roadside ditch stabilization project along Jersey Hill Road, where severe erosion has contributed to sedimentation affecting Honeoye Lake and the Genesee River watershed.
The town of Farmington was awarded $75,000 through the Non-Agricultural Nonpoint Source Planning and Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems Mapping Grant to inventory and evaluate stormwater infrastructure within the Canandaigua Lake watershed. Ontario County will receive $50,000 through the same program to explore potential floodplain restoration on a tributary to Seneca Lake.
The towns of Gorham and West Bloomfield will each receive $50,000 for culvert assessment projects aimed at identifying cost-effective solutions to reduce erosion, flooding and infrastructure damage while improving stream flow and aquatic connectivity.
In Wayne County, two projects were awarded funding. Ducks Unlimited will receive $577,264 to conduct wetland restoration on 240 acres within the Montezuma Wetlands Complex in Savannah. The project will restore agricultural fields to native wetland and riparian habitat, improving flood mitigation and supporting migratory bird populations.
The town of Huron will receive $377,200 to reconstruct a salt storage facility, increasing capacity and protecting water quality in Beaver Creek.
