New York Awards $2.9 Million for Lake Ontario Flooding

New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo awarded $2.9 million in Lake Ontario Flood Relief funds to local governments in Wayne, Orleans, Niagara, Cayuga, and Jefferson counties dedicated to restoration resiliency and recovery efforts following last year’s flooding and to protect the community from the damage of future storms.

“The Lake Ontario shoreline experienced historic and damaging flooding last year, and we continue to stand with New Yorkers whose communities are still recovering,” Cuomo said. “This funding supports our mission to build back stronger and smarter and help every impacted town and resident get back on their feet.”

The counties and municipalities receiving funding include:

• The Town of Wolcott (Wayne County) has been awarded $1,000,000 in Lake Ontario Flood Relief Program funds to make construct an approximately 200-foot revetment along the Lake Ontario shoreline that will mitigate future flood damage and protect the most critical Town infrastructure.
• The Town of Yates (Orleans County) has been awarded $414,500 in CDBG Lake Ontario Flood Relief Program funds to make repairs and reconstruct approximately 700-feet of Lake Ontario shoreline that was damaged as a result of the 2017 Lake Ontario flood event at various locations.
• The Town of Kendall (Orleans County) has been awarded $397,950 in Lake Ontario Flood Relief Program funds to mitigate future shoreline erosion along Lake Ontario as well as stabilize the existing shoreline with the use of stone rip rap and other geotextile material.
• Niagara County has been awarded $199,865 in Lake Ontario Flood Relief CDBG Program funds to reimburse themselves for necessary emergency repairs and expenses incurred as a result of the 2017 Lake Ontario flood event. The expenses incurred included funds for shoreline restoration and reconstruction, from Youngstown to the Niagara County line, as well as funds related to materials and labor.
• The Village of Wilson (Niagara County) has been awarded $10,263 in Lake Ontario Flood Relief CDBG Program funds to reimburse themselves for necessary emergency repairs and expenses incurred, including the purchase of a new trash pump for the Village’s wastewater treatment plant, as a result of the 2017 Lake Ontario flood event.
• The Town of Porter (Niagara County) has been awarded $348,312 in Lake Ontario Flood Relief Program funds to mitigate future shoreline erosion along the Town’s Fort Niagara Beach as well as stabilize up to 300-feet of the existing shoreline with the construction of stone rip-rap and rubble.
• The Village of Fair Haven (Cayuga County) has been awarded $400,000 in Lake Ontario Flood Relief CDBG Program funds to make repairs to village infrastructure that was damaged as a result of the 2017 Lake Ontario flood event at various locations. The Town will reconstruct protective seawalls surrounding several public parks along the Lake Ontario shoreline and will also make necessary infrastructure repairs around and adjacent to the shoreline.
• The Town of Lyme (Jefferson County) has been awarded $215,468 in Lake Ontario Flood Relief CDBG Program funds to both reimburse themselves for necessary emergency repairs and expenses incurred as a result of the 2017 Lake Ontario flood event and to make future repairs to the Town’s public infrastructure. The expenses incurred included funds related to materials and labor. The future repairs include the reconstruction of roads and culverts.

The funding is part of the state’s $95 million commitment to rebuilding the Lake Ontario and St. Lawrence Seaway shorelines. Projects supported by the grants include shoreline reconstruction and stabilization, reimbursement for emergency repairs during the flooding, and seawall reconstruction.

Last month, with water in the lake still high, Cuomo issued a letter to the U.S. Chair of the International Joint Commission requesting that the entity maximize outflows from the Lake Ontario system to reduce the flooding risk for New Yorkers living and working along the shoreline.