HERKIMER, N.Y. — The Herkimer County Industrial Development Agency (HCIDA) has received $9.34 million in state grant funding for a key water-infrastructure project.

The money is part of $279.3 million in Water Infrastructure Improvement and Intermunicipal grants from the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation to support nearly $900 million in projects across the state that protect public health or improve water quality.

“This is a great opportunity for Herkimer County as [the county] and the surrounding region suffer from aging infrastructure that requires modernization and improvement to provide services such as clean drinking water to ensure the health and safety of the region’s residents,” HCIDA CEO John J. Piseck said in a news release.

Herkimer County is developing the Eastern Mohawk Valley Regional Water Transmission Main, a 10.4-mile line to serve the villages of Herkimer, Ilion, and Frankfort and the towns of Herkimer and Schuyler. This new main will connect to the Mohawk Valley Water Authority’s existing water-delivery system to provide drinking-water service as both a primary and a backup supply for these communities. The project will support more than 22,000 residents in the county.

According to a press release from Gov. Kathy Hochul, the projects supported by these grants will safeguard drinking water from the risk of toxic chemicals, increase community resilience to flooding, regionalize water systems, support local economies, and are critical to protecting public health and the environment. The state projects that the grants will save local taxpayers an estimated $1 billion.

The regional transmission main is the best option for the participating municipalities because it is the most fiscally prudent way to address water quality issues in those areas, according to the IDA. “The second option of pursuing individual projects would be too large of an expense for each municipality and would result in an extreme tax burden on the residents,” IDA Board Chairman Jim Bono said.

In total, nearly $300 million is being awarded through Water Infrastructure Improvement, Intermunicipal, Green Innovation, and Engineering Planning grants to support more than 150 projects around the state. This is the second round of grant funding this year, bringing the total grant awards to nearly $900 million in 2022.