Governor Kathy Hochul and the Thousand Islands Land Trust today announced the acquisition of nearly 1,000 acres in Jefferson County through 17 projects focused on protecting the region's drinking water sources. The partnership, supported with more than $5.8 million in State grants through the successful Water Quality Improvement Project Program, will have lasting impacts on the water quality and habitats of the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario. Governor Hochul signed the agreement today while visiting the North Country.

"The St. Lawrence and Lake Ontario watersheds provide invaluable benefits to the region and New York State is making critical investments to ensure our drinking water is protected for generations to come," Governor Hochul said. "The Thousand Islands Land Trust is effectively putting State resources to work by acquiring critical buffers throughout Jefferson County, which will be instrumental in continuing our progress to keep water clean and protected for New Yorkers and our environment."

Thousand Islands Land Trust Executive Director Jake Tibbles said, "Lake Ontario, the St. Lawrence River and their tributaries provide drinking water for hundreds of thousands of people across countless municipalities in the US and Canada. As shoreline development and habitat degradation continues at a record pace, these widely used surface water sources are becoming more susceptible to water contamination. To safeguard these waterbodies and the communities that rely on them, the Thousand Island Land Trust and its conservation partners have turned to New York State's WQIP program to conserve some of the region's last remaining and most sensitive riparian habitats. With Governor Hochul's support, and through these land and easement projects, the State and TILT will be permanently protecting these invaluable natural resources now, and for generations to come."

The Thousand Islands Land Trust (TILT) received grants from 2017 through 2021 from Department of Environmental Conservation's (DEC) Water Quality Improvement Project (WQIP) program to help acquire 988 acres in Jefferson County and protect two drinking water sources in the region, the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario, that serve as a drinking water supply for a number of communities in the Thousand Islands region. The 988 acres consist of a mix of conservation easement and outright purchase of lands acting as great natural buffers for potential pollutants that could enter waterbodies through events such as stormwater runoff.

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar said, "New York State is committing record funding through effective programs like WQIP to ensure runoff and other pollution sources do not negatively impact drinking water quality. DEC's work with the Thousand Islands Land Trust and other partners throughout the North Country region will be instrumental in protecting the St. Lawrence and Lake Ontario and the communities that rely on them."

Woody wetlands, mixed forest, and marsh land make up a majority of the land cover acquired by TILT, with many of the properties including shoreline frontage. The properties will now be protected from development pressures and remain in their native vegetative states to continue to protect two vital drinking water resources. Protection of the source water resources also provides the co-benefits of protecting endangered species, wetlands, and historical areas on these properties.

Water Quality Improvement Project Program

Earlier this year, $146 million in announced WQIP grants is helping support municipal wastewater treatment upgrades, polluted runoff abatement and control, land acquisition projects for drinking water protection, salt storage construction, aquatic connectivity restoration, and marine habitat restoration. TILT's Eastern Lake Ontario Shorelines Conservation Initiative Phase 2 land acquisition project was selected to receive up to $4 million through that round, adding to the total of more than $10 million in grants awarded to TILT since 2017.

In May, Governor Hochul announced nearly $300 million in climate resiliency funding available that included at least $215 million for WQIP projects funded through the State Environmental Protection Fund (EPF), Clean Water Infrastructure Act (CWIA), and the Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act of 2022, combined. Applications were accepted through July and DEC is reviewing submissions.

Additional Efforts to Protect Drinking Water Resources

DEC and the State Department of Health, in collaboration with the Departments of Agriculture and Markets and State, created the Drinking Water Source Protection Program (DWSP2) to assist municipalities with proactively protecting their drinking water sources. Communities work with a technical assistance (TA) provider, free of charge, to develop and initiate implementation of their drinking water source protection program. DWSP2 plans protect both public health and water quality of surface and groundwater across the state. To date, DWSP2 has served nearly 2.5 million water consumers and evaluated 136 source waters in New York State. If interested in becoming one of more than 100 municipalities participating in DWSP2, please visit the DWSP2 website to fill out an interest form and view example plans, factsheets, and past newsletters. For further questions, reach out to the DWSP2 Team at [email protected].

New York's Commitment to Water Quality

New York State continues to increase its nation-leading investments in water infrastructure, including $60 million in Green Resiliency Grants (GRG) and at least $215 million in WQIP in grant opportunities currently available through Aug. 16, 2024.

With $500 million allocated for clean water infrastructure in the FY25 Enacted Budget announced by Governor Hochul, New York will have invested a total of $5.5 billion in water infrastructure between 2017 and this year.

Governor Hochul's State of the State initiative increased water infrastructure grants from 25 to 50 percent of net eligible project costs for wastewater projects to help support smaller communities. To leverage these investments and ensure ongoing coordination with local governments, the Governor expanded The Environmental Facilities Corporation's (EFC) Community Assistance Teams to help small, rural, and disadvantaged communities leverage this funding and address their clean water infrastructure needs. Any community that needs help with their water infrastructure needs is encouraged to contact EFC here.

The funding is in addition to other substantial water quality investments, including the voter-approved $4.2 billion Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act of 2022 which is advancing historic levels of funding to update aging water infrastructure and protect water quality, strengthen communities' ability to withstand severe storms and flooding, reduce air pollution and lower climate-altering emissions, restore habitats, and preserve outdoor spaces and local farms. The first round of funding under the Environmental Bond Act was awarded through the WIIA/IMG programs in December, when Governor Hochul announced $479 million in grants to 156 projects across New York State. Disadvantaged Communities will receive at least 35 percent of the benefits of Bond Act funding, with a goal of 40 percent. Governor Hochul also sustained record funding for the Environmental Protection Fund at $400 million in the Budget.

Contact the Governor's Press Office