ICYMI: DEC Region 1 Highlights More Than $32 Million in Grants Awarded to Local Water Quality Protection Projects

Local Grant Awards Part of $249 Million in Grants Awarded to 181 Water Quality Protection Projects Across New York State

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Region 1 celebrated Governor Kathy Hochul’s recent awarding of more than $32 million in State grants to support 14 projects in Nassau and Suffolk counties to further improve water quality in the region. The grants support projects that help protect drinking water, update aging water infrastructure, reduce contributors to harmful algal blooms, and improve aquatic and terrestrial habitat in communities statewide. 

“Funding from the Water Quality Improvement Project program will directly help Long Island’s communities upgrade essential infrastructure, improve resiliency, and protect Long Island’s essential sole source of drinking water aquifer system,” DEC Region 1 Director Cathy Haas said. “DEC is proud to provide these critical grants to local governments and nonprofit organizations who are doing this very important work across the region.” 

More nearly $32 million will help support regional projects through DEC’s successful Water Quality Improvement Project (WQIP) grant program. WQIP grants fund projects that directly improve water quality or habitat, promote flood risk reduction, restoration, and enhanced flood and climate resiliency, or protect a drinking water source. View a statewide list of WQIP grant awards.  

An additional $155,000 will help support regional planning efforts through Non-Agricultural Nonpoint Source and Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System Planning Grant (NPG) program. NPG projects help pay for the initial planning of water quality improvement projects, and will reduce the amount of polluted stormwater runoff entering lakes, rivers, and streams, and improve resiliency against the impacts of climate change. View statewide list of NPG grant awards. 

Region 1 WQIP grantees in Nassau and Suffolk counties include:  

Port Washington Water Pollution Control District (Nassau), $10,000,000 – Port Washington Water Pollution Control District will upgrade and replace aging infrastructure at the District's remote wastewater pumping stations to reduce the potential for sanitary sewer overflows to Manhasset Bay. 

Village of Southampton (Suffolk), $10,000,000 – The Village of Southampton will install a sewer system, including a pump station, to collect, treat, and dispose of sewage. The new sewer system will connect approximately 254 parcels that are currently served by failing onsite septic systems. The project will improve the water quality of Lake Agawam. 

Suffolk County (Suffolk), $5,760,000 – Suffolk County will construct new gravity sewer connections and a sewer line in the Town of Smithtown to connect 85 tax parcels, which are currently using onsite septic systems and commercial cesspools. This project will reduce nitrogen and bacteria in nearby waterbodies and groundwater. 

National Audubon Society (Suffolk), $1,690,172 – The National Audubon Society will restore 70 acres of marsh in Sunken Meadow State Park, one of the largest salt marshes on Long Island's North Shore. They will restore the hydrology of the marsh, install native plantings, and control phragmites, an invasive species. Several New York State-designated Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN), including saltmarsh sparrow and eastern black rail, will benefit from the project. 

Suffolk County (Suffolk), $1,612,000 – Suffolk County will acquire over seven acres to protect the sole source aquifer used as drinking water by County residents. The property is in the Town of Smithtown and is currently open space that was previously farmland. Preserving these lands will help protect the water quality of the underlying aquifer. 

Seatuck Environmental Association (Suffolk), $1,472,790 – The Seatuck Environmental Association will install a pool-and-weir fishway to bypass an existing dam and culvert that block migratory fish in the Patchogue River. This project will restore aquatic connectivity and access to spawning habitat in Patchogue and Canaan lakes. 

Seatuck Environmental Association (Suffolk), $521,785 – The Seatuck Environmental Association will install two concrete box culverts to replace undersized culverts around Mattituck Inlet. Enlarging these culverts will increase tidal flow around the inlet. The removal of the barrier will also reconnect passage for aquatic organisms to access wetland habitat. 

City of Glen Cove (Nassau), $400,000 – The City of Glen Cove will purchase a new vacuum truck to replace a truck that has surpassed its functional service life. Using the new truck will reduce sediment and debris in their stormwater infrastructure and improve water quality for the Hempstead Harbor/Frontal Long Island Sound Watershed. 

Village of Farmingdale (Nassau), $200,000 – The Village of Farmingdale will construct a salt storage structure to protect Long Island’s sole source aquifer used as the community’s drinking water source. The fully enclosed storage facility will protect approximately 400 tons of winter road-deicing salt from direct precipitation and wind exposure. 

Long Island Conservation Alliance (Nassau), $160,000 – The Long Island Conservation Alliance will restore approximately 1.7 acres of degraded wetland at Garvies Point Museum and Preserve in Glen Cove. They will remove invasive plant species, restore native woody and herbaceous vegetation, and install vegetated bioswales to improve stormwater management. These improvements will address habitat degradation, invasive species, and stormwater runoff near Hempstead Harbor. 

Town of Hempstead (Nassau), $100,500 – The Town of Hempstead will establish and maintain an oyster bed spawner sanctuary in Hempstead Bay. The spawner sanctuary is expected to significantly increase the production of viable larvae and contribute to the complexity of habitat by forming reefs over time. This project will create habitat and feeding grounds for invertebrates, and finfish and improve water quality by increasing shellfish filter feeding capacity.  

Region 1 NPG grantees in Nassau and Suffolk counties include:  

Village of Hempstead (Nassau), $75,000 - The Village of Hempstead will identify and map municipal stormwater infrastructure, such as outfalls and connections, as well as sewersheds and potential sources of pollution. The project will help reduce nitrogen and phosphorus pollution in nearby waterbodies. 

Suffolk County (Suffolk), $50,000 – Suffolk County will complete a stream culvert assessment report in the Lake Ronkonkoma watershed to inventory culverts that are contributing to erosion and streambank instability. The report will identify culverts to repair or replace that will improve water quality and flood resilience within the watershed. 

Village of Port Washington North (Nassau), $30,000 – The Village of Port Washington North will update its sewer system map in electronic Global Information System (GIS), including monitoring locations, stormwater infrastructure, municipal facilities, sewersheds, and potential sources of pollution to nearby waterbodies. 

The WQIP funds are part of more than $249 million in grants recently announced by Governor Hochul for 181 projects statewide that help protect drinking water, update aging water infrastructure, reduce contributors to harmful algal blooms, and improve aquatic and terrestrial habitat in communities statewide. More than $206 million of the funding will support water quality improvements for environmental justice communities which may be disproportionately impacted by environmental pollution. This announcement supplements more than $10 billion in water infrastructure improvements and clean water projects investments by New York State since Governor Hochul took office. 

More than $42 million of funding provided through the 2022 Clean Water, Clean Air, Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act will be used to implement 49 WQIP projects.  

Sources of Funding  

WQIP is primarily supported by the State's 2022 Clean Water, Clean Air, Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act, Environmental Protection Fund (EPF), and Clean Water Infrastructure funding. The 2026-27 enacted New York State Budget maintains the EPF at $425 million and includes an additional $25 million from the Sustainable Future Program to provide a record $450 million for critical environmental programs, such as land acquisition, farmland protection, invasive species prevention and eradication, enhanced recreational access, water quality improvement, and an aggressive environmental justice agenda.    

New York's Commitment to Clean Water   

Under Governor Hochul, New York State continues to increase its historic investments in water infrastructure. The enacted 2027 budget announced by Governor Hochul sets the national standard with a transformational $3.75 billion water infrastructure investment plan, building on $10.6 billion provided to clean water infrastructure projects since 2021. To leverage these investments and ensure ongoing coordination with local governments, the Governor supports the Environmental Facilities Corporation’s Community Assistance Teams in coordination with State agencies to provide proactive outreach for one-on-one consultations to help municipalities prepare strong applications. New Yorkers can view projects benefiting from DEC’s water grant programs using the interactive grant data portal.    

About the Consolidated Funding Application  

The grants were issued following completion through the Consolidated Funding Application (CFA) process. The CFA was created to streamline and expedite the grant application process. The CFA process marks a fundamental shift in the way State resources are allocated, ensuring less bureaucracy and greater efficiency to fulfill local economic development needs. The CFA serves as the single-entry point for access to economic development funding, ensuring applicants no longer have to slowly navigate multiple agencies and sources without any mechanism for coordination. Now, economic development projects use the CFA as a support mechanism to access multiple State funding sources through one application, making the process quicker, easier, and more productive. Learn more about the CFA. 

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