Commentary
Invest in Clean Water Infrastructure For the Health and Sustainability of Our Communities
By PETE HARCKHAM – January 2025
I have been fighting for increased investments in New York’s roadway and clean water infrastructure since taking office in the State Senate for three simple reasons: to protect the safety and public health of residents, to support the creation of good union jobs and to bolster future economic development that will benefit our communities in myriad ways.
Maintaining the high quality of life that we expect in every imaginable sector of existence means making these investments this year and ensuring annual renewals and even more increases as needed. For New York to compete—and succeed—as a prime destination for new residents and sustainable growth investments, there can be no other way.
New York’s stature as one of the country’s economic leaders is at stake. That is why in the past several months I have been joined by several bipartisan elected officials, union leaders and community advocates at events where we called for major increases in roadway and water infrastructure investments as part of New York’s capital spending plan.
We all know that the shared prosperity that we all endeavor toward—a promise for a better tomorrow that generations before us have toiled tirelessly for—cannot be squandered by an austerity mindset that ignores pressing needs and future economic viability.
In regard to water infrastructure investments, we held a press conference at the Ossining Water Treatment Plan in December 2024 to urge Gov. Kathy Hochul to safeguard New York’s drinking water in the upcoming state budget. Attendees, including members of the New York Clean Water Coalition, called on the Governor to invest $600 million—an increase of $100 million from last year—in the Clean Water Infrastructure Act in her executive budget proposal for FY2025-2026.
Indeed, we can’t wait any longer to increase the state’s commitment in safeguarding our fragile drinking water supplies and water infrastructure, which helps keep our communities safe and habitable, all while ensuring the costs do not get passed on to ratepayers.
Knowing that clean water infrastructure investments are public works projects with public service, union jobs that receive prevailing wages, this $600 million investment is also a crucial human investment and an investment in the economy of Main Street.
Since 2017, New York has invested $5.5 billion in the Clean Water Infrastructure Act to fund drinking water and wastewater infrastructure improvements like water main replacements, sewage treatment plant upgrades and more. These projects have protected public health, created thousands of union jobs, and kept water bills affordable. Over $300 million has been dedicated to projects in Westchester County alone.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that over $80 billion is needed to repair New York’s aging and outdated water infrastructure in the years to come, increasing our investments is the smart way to go. Local governments need more resources to comply with new federal regulations to make drinking water cleaner. EPA recently enacted landmark requirements for water utilities to remove toxic PFAS chemicals from drinking water and replace 100% of lead pipes nationwide. More funding for the Clean Water Infrastructure Act is needed to ensure utilities can make these essential improvements without sharply increasing water rates.
As for roadway investments, in May 2024, we were heard loud and clear: there is an immediate need for $800 million of increased funding for transportation needs in the next State Budget, including much-needed equitable funding—$100 million—for New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Region 8, which encompasses the Hudson Valley.
Flat spending will not stop our roadways from deteriorating, and cuts in spending will imperil motorists traveling on state roadways, especially in the Hudson Valley.
The New York Roadway Infrastructure Coalition, a statewide organization that unites industry, labor, business and community support groups in advocating for capital funding to address the state’s transportation needs, recently called on Governor Hochul to add $800 million for core projects in the next State Budget. This figure is meant to counter inflation costs that are impacting construction work that ensures the safety of roads, bridges and transportation systems statewide.
I fully support this crucial addition to New York’s roadway investments. NYSDOT’s Region 8, which encompasses the Hudson Valley and includes 5,461 lane miles of roadway—the most in the state, has New York’s worst rated roads and bridges. According to NYSDOT statistics, 60% of Region 8 roads and half its bridges are in poor condition. By comparison, Region 1, which includes Albany, has 63% of its roads ranked as “good condition,” Long Island’s roads are ranked 63% as being “good to excellent” and New York City’s roads condition is ranked 89% as “good.”
The woefulness of NYSDOT Region 8 roads can be attributed to the number of its repaved lane miles, which dropped by almost half in two years, from 430 miles in 2022 to 245 miles in 2024. (Statewide, NYSDOT repaving and patching decreased from 4,000 miles in 2022 to an expected 2,200 miles in 2024 based on tonnage of asphalt utilized—the lowest amount in a decade.) Region 8 also has the worst repaving cycle in the state. It takes 16 years on average for state roadways to be repaved here, while the repaving cycle is only 12 years in the rest of the state.
A 2024 report from TRIP, a national transportation research organization, concluded that poor road and bridge conditions cost motorists $36.7 billion annually—up to $3,600 per driver in some areas—due to vehicle damage, crashes and traffic: a veritable “pothole tax” that few families can afford. The report also notes that delaying repairs ends up increasing costs for state and local governments exponentially more.
Want to stop the exodus of residents and business owners out of New York? Show them we are serious about investing in our future.
About the author: New York State Pete Harckham represents the 40th Senate District covering Northern Westchester, Southern Putnam and Eastern Rockland County since 2018. He serves as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environmental Conservation.