February 11, 2026

EFC, DOH, and Village of Valatie Celebrate $5.5M State Investment in Clean Water

State Grant to Help the Village Affordably Construct a PFAS Treatment Facility and Protect Drinking Water

New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation President and CEO Maureen A. Coleman, State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald, and Village of Valatie Mayor Frank Bevens today celebrated $5.5 million in State funding recently awarded to the Village to construct a PFAS treatment facility. The funding is part of $453 million in water quality grants announced by Governor Kathy Hochul on December 19, 2025, and bolsters efforts in Valatie to safeguard drinking water and public health while protecting the pockets of local ratepayers.

"Construction of a PFAS treatment facility is exactly the type of project that can benefit from Governor Hochul’s State of the State plan to invest $3.75 billion in New York’s water infrastructure,” President and CEO Coleman said. “Grant funding for water infrastructure lowers costs for local governments and their ratepayers, keeps our communities safe, and expands opportunities for all New Yorkers.”

“Under Governor Hochul’s leadership, New York State continues to make significant investments to address PFAS in our environment, as we know these come with a range of negative health effects,” Commissioner McDonald said. “Her proposed $3.75 billion for clean water infrastructure will support more projects like these that safeguard our drinking water and protect our health for years to come without bankrupting our communities.”

“With this grant, we can move forward with critical construction of a PFAS treatment facility and ensure the protection of our drinking water while keeping costs down,” Mayor Bevens said. “We are grateful for the support from Governor Hochul, EFC, and DOH who provided this critical assistance to our Village when we needed it most.”

The grant is funded by the Water Infrastructure Improvement (WIIA) program, which empowers local governments to affordably advance their critical drinking water and sewer projects. EFC has awarded $3.4 billion in WIIA grants since 2015. Visit EFC’s website for more information and a full list of WIIA grant recipients.

Governor Hochul is proposing a bold five-year, $3.75 billion commitment to water infrastructure, which would bring total investments to nearly $10 billion since 2017. It would deliver $750 million in water quality grants per year, a 50% increase from the $500 million that’s been made available annually in recent years. This would provide an additional $250 million annually in grants to municipalities for projects that may otherwise be too cost prohibitive to undertake.

This increased investment will allow local governments to continue to tackle legacy threats such as emerging contaminants and lead service lines, ensuring that New York remains a national leader in protecting our residents and environment, while providing clean, safe drinking water. The plan also includes a new Smart Growth Water Grant Program that will provide substantial funding to help communities affordably construct the sewers and infrastructure they need to build housing and foster economic development.

This historic funding level will continue to uplift and support New York's premier water programs, including WIIA, the Water Quality Improvement Project (WQIP) program, and the Lead Infrastructure Forgiveness and Transformation (LIFT) program.

This is more than just a line item in the state Budget; these programs are proven vehicles for affordability. WIIA alone has saved ratepayers $7.2 billion since 2015. By continuing and improving these grant programs, the State will continue to make essential local projects affordable for taxpayers.

New York's Commitment to Water Quality

New York State continues to increase its nation-leading investments in water infrastructure, providing $3.8 billion in financial assistance for local projects in State Fiscal Year 2025 alone, including $1.1 billion in grants. Any community needing assistance with water infrastructure projects is encouraged to contact EFC. New Yorkers can track projects benefiting from EFC’s investments using the interactive project impact dashboard.