Elizabethtown awarded over $20M in grants for wastewater treatment project

ELIZABETHTOWN | In October, the town received $24 million in grant funding from New York State to establish a municipal wastewater treatment system — a $38 million project that will provide centralized services to about 450 users. On Oct. 20, Elizabethtown received $14 million from the NYS Environmental Facilities Corporation (EFC), and on Oct. 30, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced an additional $10 million from the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Water Quality Improvement Project (WQIP). "I'm absolutely elated," said Town of Elizabethtown Supervisor Cathleen Reusser. "And this grant will help set a tone with other funding agencies to help complete this project that's been ongoing for years." Properties within the proposed district currently have on-site septic systems, including private homes and several major civic and business facilities, such as the Elizabethtown Community Hospital, the Essex Center for Health Care Nursing, and the central Essex County complex. Some of those systems date back decades, and others sit very close to Branch Brook and Barton Brook, which join before flowing into the Boquet River. "Depending on how the homeowner is in terms of maintaining those septic systems, they operate at very different levels. Unfortunately, we've been able to document that the waters that are flowing into the Boquet River are contaminated," Reusser said, referring to the preliminary report issued last year that engineers with Suozzo, Doty & Associates updated. "That's why this centralized system is essential for the town." The new wastewater treatment plant would be located behind the Cobble Hill Golf Course, with two new buildings serving as the collection and treatment facilities. The effluent would be treated with ultraviolet (UV) light to kill harmful bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens before piping it back to the Boquet River. Town officials submitted their Intended Use Plan (IUP), which outlines the community's financial picture and provides scientific data on the need for critical infrastructure, to the EFC in May 2025. The EFC then scores proposed projects using a project-priority system. "We scored very well. Unfortunately, given the nature of funding back then, they did not give out any money that last round," Reusser stated. "But thankfully for this round, they did, and we were awarded the funding this round." On Oct. 20, Hochul announced nearly $500 million in grants for critical drinking water and sewer projects statewide, delivering on the $3.75 billion commitment in the 2027 Enacted State Budget. In the North Country, the state awarded $65 million to 10 projects, including the Town of Black Brook, which received $290,000 for lead service line inventory. On Oct. 30, Hochul announced more than $249 million in grants for 181 projects to further improve water quality across the state. A portion of this grant funding should cover the design work needed to build the critical infrastructure. In January 2026, the town was awarded a $500,000 grant through the Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC), which helped advance the design to 30%. "As soon as the monies are available, we'll be advancing design over the winter," Reusser said. The town also plans to apply for additional funding through programs such as the EFC Water Infrastructure Improvement (WIIA) Program to help close the gap. "We're very optimistic." For more information or updates, visit the Town of Elizabethtown website.

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Elizabethtown awarded over $20M in grants for wastewater treatment project

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