CHEEKTOWAGA (WBEN) - On Thursday afternoon, State Senator Tim Kennedy and Assemblymember Monica Wallace announced a $5 million grant to the Town of Cheektowaga to aid in rebuilding their antiquated sewer system.
"Many of you may remember five years ago when the town sewer overflow problems were continually getting worse and worse, and it seemed like there was no end in sight," said Kennedy. "This was a century-old problem that had never been addressed."
Cheektowaga remains under a consent order with the New York State DEC to eliminate the discharge of diluted raw sewage into area waterways, including Scajaquada Creek. The overflows occur during heavy rain events, and this grant will allow the town to line an additional 33 miles of sewers.
"The work done by the town to date has already reduced the amount of raw sewage being discharged into area waterways by tens of millions of gallons of raw sewage every single year," Kennedy added.
There was already $15 million in funding that was secured prior to the $5 million grant (as part of the Water Quality Improvement Act) that was announced Thursday, and that, combined with a $15 million no-interest loan for the town, brings the total funding up to $35 million.
According to Wallace, the town has relined over 105 miles of pipes, which equates to about half of the necessary replacement. The additional 33 miles of pipe replacement due to this grant will complete roughly two-thirds of the necessary work.
"For those of you who don't realize it, it impacts not only the Town of Cheektowaga, but really the health of the water for all of Western New York," said Wallace. "The Scajaquada Creek flows through the Niagara River and into our Great Lakes, so we need to protect that water source for the health of all Western New Yorkers."
