It is one of the largest federal investments in the city of Auburn in decades, and it will support the modernization of the aging wastewater treatment plant . Auburn has been awarded a $25 million grant, $41,491,103 in interest-free financing and $16,491,102 in market-rate financing from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the bipartisan infrastructure law. The state is providing a $9 million grant through the Water Infrastructure Improvement program.
The funding will cover the costs of the ongoing wastewater treatment plant upgrades . The project's price tag grew over the years and the city Council approved a resolution last year to increase the bond authorization from $36 million to $84 million. The wastewater treatment plant was built in 1935 and last upgraded in the 1990s.
The improvements will include replacing aging wastewater treatment infrastructure and better biosolids processing capabilities, according to city officials. One goal of the project is to address how the city handles sludge, Auburn Mayor Jimmy Giannettino said. The sludge is a byproduct from treating wastewater that is usually transferred to landfills.
But between the costs of transporting the materials and landfills near capacity, the city has developed a solution. It will dry the sludge, which can be reused. Before the grants and loans were announced by Gov.
Kathy Hochul and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the city planned to borrow the money necessary to complete the projec.
