Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara announced the city of Amsterdam will receive state funding from the New York State’s Lead Replacement Program initiative funded in the state budget. Through the program funds are allocated to replace residential lead service lines to reduce the amount of lead in drinking water. As a civil engineer, Assemblyman Santabarbara advocated for the funding of this program in the state budget to help communities like Amsterdam address drinking water issues like this.

The project is a pressing need for the city of Amsterdam, as recent water samples collected earlier this year tested positive for elevated lead levels. The samples showed lead levels above the regulatory lead limit (140 parts per billion); thereby meeting the criteria to quality for funding through the New York’s Clean Water Infrastructure Act of 2017. The funds will allow the city the ability to replace the lead service lines attributing to the elevated lead levels found in its drinking water. Lead service line replacement will cost about $5,000-$10,000 per line, depending on site conditions and the length of each line. To date the city has identified 60 lead service lines in need of replacement. The project is set to begin in the spring of 2019, and to be completed by the end of 2021.

“As a civil engineer, the issue of aging infrastructure continues to be a top priority for me,” said Assemblyman Santabarbara. “To ensure clean drinking water we must continue to identify and provide the funding to replace old pipes and water mains with 21st century engineering. The replacement of lead lines that were used in the past is an important step towards protecting the health of our residents and their families.”

Following the testing, Assemblyman Santabarbara notified city residents of free lead testing kits available through his office. There are free kits available and residents are encouraged to contact his office for assistance at: (518) 382-2941 or SantabarbaraA@nyassembly.gov.