NY Gov. Seeks $2B to Fix Some of Nation's Oldest Pipes

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo wants $2 billion to address some of the nation's oldest water and sewer systems, across the state of New York.

Crews work to repair a broken water main in Troy, N.Y. (Mike Groll | AP)

While that sounds like a lot of money, it's a drop in the bucket of what the state's experts say is truly required.

They say it would actually cost $80 billion in the coming years to replace crumbling water mains, modernize sewer systems and remove lead pipes.

Many of the state's water systems began wearing out long ago. The Erie County Water Authority had 1,453 water main breaks in 2015. There were nearly 400 the same year in Syracuse, where local officials calculated last year that they'll need $726 million to fix 550 miles of pipe. In New York City, an estimated 20 percent of the treated water that enters municipal pipes leaks out before it makes it to a faucet.

"It's becoming more and more of a problem," Cuomo said when he announced the $2 billion proposal. "The time to address it is now."

One of the reasons why the state's pipes have gotten so bad is many people don't think about the need for maintenance until a pipe bursts, a river is contaminated by sewage or a toxin is found in tap water. And funding for water systems has repeatedly lost out to other pressing needs like rising education and health care costs.

This past year, however, water quality became front-page news when the industrial chemical PFOA was found to have tainted the tap water of the upstate village of Hoosick Falls.

Long Island is the site of one of the state's most challenging water quality problems, caused by chemicals used in aviation manufacturing that seeped into the groundwater. A recent state report determined it could cost up to $587 million and take up to 100 years to fully clean up the problem, which affects the drinking water used by 250,000 people.

The $2 billion would be spent over five years. It would come on top of $200 million for water projects approved by lawmakers last year. Hearings on Cuomo's budget proposal are planned with a vote expected before April 1.

See more at: New York Upstate