USDA awards Town of Mexico funding for new water district

MEXICO, N.Y. — The Town of Mexico will use more than $1.9 million in federal funding to design and cover the costs of a new water district.

The funding includes a grant of $462,000 and an additional loan of nearly $1.5 million, U.S. Senators Charles Schumer (D–N.Y.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D–N.Y.) said in a recent news release that Gillibrand’s office issued.

Mexico will use the funding for water-service area #3 to provide “safe and reliable” water for town residents.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) waste and water-disposal loan and grant program is providing the funding, the lawmakers said.

USDA Rural Development’s waste and water program provides loans and grants to “ensure” that communities make the “necessary investments” in water and wastewater infrastructure to deliver “safe” drinking water; sanitary sewage disposal; and “proper” water drainage to households and businesses in rural areas.

The project

The new water district will service homes with previous water-quality problems within ground water wells.

Engineers conducted initial testing that found high levels of mercury and iron and higher-than-normal levels of E.coli in ground wells.

After two “stalled” years, the water committee will use the funding to start and develop the project, Schumer and Gillibrand said.

The water committee includes town board members and citizens who live in the proposed water district, according to the news release.

The Town of Mexico will move forward with designs and construction of water-service area #3, bringing municipal water to portions of State Route 3, U.S. Route 11, Fish Road, Pumphouse Road, State Route 104, North Church Road, Chapman Road, and Sage Creek Road in the township.

The new water district will serve about 100 homes and between 200 to 300 people.

In addition, the project will also involve installation of new fire hydrants.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com

PHOTO CREDIT: Website http://town.mexicony.net