NORTH TONAWANDA, N.Y. — A North Tonawanda Wastewater facility is getting $5 million in state funding for repairs.

The 42-year-old City of North Tonawanda Wastewater Treatment Plant on River Road has been in need of repairs for years. The plant cleans the wastewater for 30,000 residents, but suffers from corroded pipes, an inoperable digester, and a lack of backpower that would prevent operation of the pant in the event of a power outage. 

Employees at the plant have been warning North Tonawanda leadership that the plant is on the brink of collapse. If the plant were to stop functioning, backups would take place in basements across the city and raw sewage would have to be discharged into the Niagara River.

Assemblyman Bill Conrad was at the plant on Tuesday to announce the inclusion of funding for repairs in the state spending plan. He had previously come to tour the facility in March and see first-hand the repairs that were needed. 

“The plant is degrading at a quickening pace, and now the total expected cost of the necessary repairs certainly exceeds what taxpayers can bear. I thank North Tonawanda Mayor Austin Tylec for making this project a priority of his new administration, as well as Water/Wastewater Superintendent Jason Koepsell, his team, and the North Tonawanda Common Council for advocating for its upkeep," Conrad said. 

"Their efforts brought my attention to the dire situation at hand here, and to the looming catastrophe facing both our citizens and our natural environment. I am pleased that I was in turn able to secure this funding from Albany, and I applaud the Governor and my colleagues in the Legislature for recognizing its necessity.”

North Tonawanda Mayor Austin Tylec is glad to have the funding secured so the city can avoid any catastrophe that may have occurred because of the facility's disrepair.  

“On behalf of the entire city, I want to express my gratitude for Assemblyman Conrad’s quick response to this gravely concerning issue. Without a fully functional Wastewater Treatment Plant, the city’s property owners and residents, as well as the Niagara River would suffer devastating consequences. This $5 million will go a long way to getting the facility back to where it needs to be – and if it weren’t for Assemblyman Conrad’s support, we would have gotten nothing from the 2022-23 state budget for this plant. I commend the New York State Legislature for adopting a budget that will save us from a plant breakdown, create a financial cushion for our taxpayers, and help us build the future of North Tonawanda,” Tylec said.

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