Governor Kathy Hochul today announced nearly $66 million in State grants awarded to communities across New York State to improve their drinking water infrastructure by identifying and replacing lead service lines. The Governor’s Lead Infrastructure Forgiveness and Transformation (LIFT) Grants initiative helps local governments throughout the State pay for these projects and demonstrates the State’s ongoing commitment to protecting public health and drinking water for New Yorkers.

“Protecting the health and safety of New Yorkers is my number one priority — that’s why we’re investing in grants across the state so that communities can make the critical improvements they need,” Governor Hochul said. “Every family deserves clean, safe drinking water, and these grants will help us make that goal a reality.”

Lead is harmful to human health and can enter drinking water when plumbing materials that contain lead corrode. The most common sources of lead in drinking water are lead pipes, faucets and fixtures. Water that has high acidity or low mineral content corrodes these pipes, faucets, and fixtures. In homes with lead pipes that connect the home to the water main, also known as lead service lines, these pipes are typically the most significant source of lead in the water. Lead pipes are more likely to be found in older cities and homes built before 1986. 

The State funding awarded today will be used by municipalities to help cover the costs of lead service line replacement projects that received funding through the federal Infrastructure Improvement and Jobs Act (IIJA), but whose costs were not fully covered by IIJA grant. These loan forgiveness grants will, at completion of a project, pay off the financing component of the municipality’s funding. This will ensure local ratepayers in these communities will not bear the full financial burden of these vital water quality projects.

The LIFT initiative delivers on Governor Hochul’s affordability, clean water, and safety agendas. Coupling State and federal funding takes the fiscal pressure off local governments, allowing them to protect their residents by replacing more lead service lines. The State’s comprehensive approach continues to provide communities with the resources they need to improve their water infrastructure. 

The State funding awarded today is specifically targeted to historically disadvantaged communities. The awards prioritize communities that meet one or more of the following criteria: 

• The community’s median household income is less than 80 percent of the regionally adjusted statewide median household income
• The community’s local poverty rate is higher than the statewide poverty rate
• At least 50 percent of the community’s lead service line project serves an environmental justice community

The communities receiving these awards are: 

• City of Buffalo $3,454,800
• City of Gloversville $1,352,484
• City of Lockport $10,477,044
• Mohawk Valley Water Authority $3,822,000
• New York City (Areas of the Bronx and Brooklyn) $14,000,000
• City of Oswego $4,774,962
• City of Poughkeepsie $14,000,000
• City of Rochester $14,000,000 

In addition to this funding, New York State’s Lead Service Line Replacement Program has invested $30 million to identify and replace lead service lines across the State. To date, $23 million has been spent through the program replacing 3,574 lead service lines in New York. 

New York State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said, “Governor Hochul stands by the New York State Department of Health in her commitment to safeguard the drinking water of all New Yorkers by eliminating lead pipes in water delivery lines. New York is committed to removing health disparities by targeted funding for underserved communities so that we may all be afforded the basic right to safe drinking water.” 

New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation President and CEO Maureen A. Coleman said, “Affordability is central to EFC’s mission. By providing this critical funding, Governor Hochul is helping communities replace lead service lines without passing unsustainable costs on to local ratepayers. Every New Yorker deserves access to safe, clean drinking water, and this investment ensures that cost is not a barrier to making that a reality in underserved communities.”

New York’s Commitment to Water Quality 
New York State continues to increase its nation-leading investments in water infrastructure, including more than $3.4 billion in financial assistance from EFC for local water infrastructure projects in State Fiscal Year 2025 alone. With $500 million allocated for clean water infrastructure in the FY26 Enacted Budget announced by Governor Hochul, New York will have invested a total of $6 billion in water infrastructure since 2017. Any community that needs help with its water infrastructure is encouraged to contact EFC. 

The funding, in addition to other substantial water quality investments, includes the voter-approved $4.2 billion Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act of 2022 which is advancing historic levels of funding to update aging water infrastructure and protect water quality, strengthen communities' ability to withstand severe storms and flooding, reduce air pollution and lower climate-altering emissions, restore habitats; and preserve outdoor spaces and local farms.  

About the Infrastructure Improvement and Jobs Act (IIJA) and Lead Service Line Replacement Funding
The Infrastructure Improvement and Jobs Act invests a historic $15 billion nationwide to identify and replace lead service lines. The law mandates that 49 percent of Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Lead Service Line Replacement funds must be provided as grants or loan forgiveness to disadvantaged communities, a crucial investment for communities that have been underinvested in for far too long. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency projects a national total of 9 million lead service lines across the country, based on data collected from the updated Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment. The federal funding is provided specifically for lead service line identification and replacement across the nation and will help New York fund projects to remove lead pipes and reduce exposure to lead from drinking water. To ensure that funding is used for lead service line related activities in the states with the most need, federal Lead Service Line Replacement allotments are based on need — meaning that states with more projected lead service lines receive proportionally more Lead Service Line Replacement funding. 

State Senator Gustavo Rivera said, “This investment by Governor Hochul will help local governments cover the costs of lead service line replacement projects partly funded by the Infrastructure Improvement and Jobs Act and primarily located in low income communities like The Bronx while protecting New Yorkers’ pockets. As the proud sponsor of the Lead Pipe Right to Know Act, which was signed into law in 2023, and two other similar bills, we must continue to champion these efforts and finally ensure all New Yorkers have access to lead free drinking water.”

Assemblymember Amy Paulin said, “Ensuring every New Yorker has access to clean, safe drinking water is a fundamental responsibility of government, and this grant initiative is a major step forward in fulfilling that promise. By lifting the financial burden from local communities we’ll accelerate the removal of dangerous lead service lines. I applaud Governor Hochul for her commitment to replacing lead infrastructure and for ensuring that the health and safety of our residents remains a top priority.”