In all, 19 municipalities and organizations in Assembly District 115, which includes Franklin, Essex and part of Clinton counties, were awarded more than $25 million, according to Assemblyman Billy Jones, D-Chateaugay Lake.

Jones said the municipalities applied for the grants for projects, which include salt sheds, sewage collection system repairs, purchasing land, repairing dams and bringing water and wastewater systems into compliance with regulations.

The funding for all of these grants come from the state Environmental Protection Fund, through state Department of Conservation and state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation in the 14th round of the Regional Economic Development Council initiative.

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Work on the Bartlett Carry dam, seen over the summer. (Provided photo — Guy Middleton)

St. Armand

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The town of St. Armand got $1 million to install an effluent disinfection system at the town’s wastewater treatment facility.

“This project will improve water quality by reducing pathogens in the treatment plant’s discharge,” according to a state document describing the projects.

Town Supervisor Davina Thurston said the town is under a non-consent order from the state Department of Environmental Conservation, which says the town needs seasonal disinfection in the summer at the plant on River Road. She said the town needs to use chlorine to kill microbes in the water, then remove the chlorine before the water is released into the Saranac River.

Work on the Bartlett Carry dam, seen over the summer. (Provided photo — Guy Middleton)

Thurston said there are no health hazards associated with the plant now, but it is not in compliance with the DEC. This project is estimated to cost a total of $1.3 million.

St. Armand also got a $300,000 grant to purchase the land its drinking water wells are on.

The hotelier Paul Smith himself allowed the now-nonexistent village of Bloomingdale to use this land as water source in the 19th and 20th centuries. After his land was turned into a college following his son’s death, the town leased the land.

Thurston said their current 50-year lease with Paul Smith’s College for the 41-acre plot on on state Route 3 expires in 2032.

This will guarantee the town access and protection of its water source.

“The land purchase will protect the drinking water of St. Armand and comply with NYS Department of Health wellhead protection area requirements,” according to the state.

Thurston anticipates the price might be more than $300,000.

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Saranac Lake and Harrietstown

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The village of Saranac Lake got a $9,315,400 grant for improvements to its wastewater treatment plant and collection system.

Village Manager Bachana Tsiklauri said this is a “generational project” that kicked off when the village got a previous $17 million grant.

“We got lucky,” he said.

The project is set to cost a total of $34 million. The village will pay the rest of the $8 million through a 0% loan which will be paid over the next 30 years. Tsiklauri said more grants could come through in the future, though.

The work will include repairs, replacements and upgrades to key structures including primary clarifiers, the preliminary treatment system, primary effluent pumps, aeration tanks and a chemical phosphorus removal process.

“This project will reduce phosphorus in the Lake Champlain watershed,” according to the state.

The village also got $526,312 to preserve architectural integrity in the historic basement of 1-3 Main St., where the village’s hydroelectric dam separating Lake Flower from the Saranac River is.

This building currently houses the village police, who are in the process of moving out, and is a potential new headquarters for the Adirondack Park Agency. The work at the historic Paul Smith’s Electric Light and Power and Railroad Company Complex is said by the state to accommodate modern operational needs and enhance local infrastructure and historical conservation efforts.

The town of Harrietstown also got $675,000 towards the restoration of the town hall, which houses the town and village offices.

This 1926 building is on the National Register of Historic Places. The work will include roof, flashing and masonry repair to return the exterior to its original glory, prevent water infiltration into its interior corridors and prevent further damage to its exterior walls.

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North Elba

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The town of North Elba received $3,750,000 to rehabilitate sewer main lines to prevent sewage and phosphorus from entering the Lake Placid and Lake Champlain watersheds.

Town Supervisor Derek Doty said this work is focused on the sewer line under Ruisseaumont Way, which runs parallel to Lake Placid. This is an old line and has had two breaks recently. It’s also hard to access.

This work will involve securing the line from “inflow and infiltration.”

Lake Placid is a drinking water source for the town, so it is important to protect it, Doty said.

“We’ll use every penny to ensure that Lake Placid stays a safe water body,” he said.

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Upper Saranac Lake

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The Upper Saranac Foundation got $1 million for its ongoing repair of the Bartlett Carry dam between upper and middle Saranac Lakes.

The current version of this dam was built in 1913, according to USF Lake Manager Guy Middleton, and there were some improvements made in 1989 when the foundation purchased it.

Now, more work is needed to meet state regulations and to protect downstream water quality and infrastructure. The work is meant to “address leakage in the spillway and abutments,” according to the state.

The project is set to cost $2 million. The shore owners on Upper Saranac Lake are paying for the other half of the work, through the USF, a non-profit foundation supported through their donations.

Middleton said he’s grateful to the shore owners who pitch in to keep the waters there clean.

The dam maintains water levels in Upper Saranac Lake and Fish Creek Pond, and ensures safety of people downstream.

The dam has an “intermediate” hazard level from the state. It was last inspected in 2019, but was given no condition rating at the time.

Middleton said the work started over the summer, and will continue in the spring.

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Salt sheds

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Several municipalities in the area got state grants for road salt storage facilities. Jones said these are important buildings. It used to be that road salt would just be piled up outside.

“We didn’t realize that it was leaching into our waterways,” Jones said.

Salt in waterways and drinking wells hurts natural wildlife, causes health problems for humans with certain conditions and changes the environment.

Middleton said he’s excited about the $598,800 grant for the town of Santa Clara to built a structure for its currently exposed salt storage pile.

“The structure will protect groundwater within a principal aquifer and nearby Upper Saranac Lake,” according to the state.

Middleton said research from the Adirondack Watershed Institute shows an increase in salt in USL, but said that could be from road salting, instead of the salt pile leaching.

The village of Lake Placid got $600,000 for a structure for its uncovered salt pile, to protect a principal aquifer and nearby waterbodies.

The town of Franklin got $600,000 for a structure for its currently uncovered salt piles to protect groundwater within a principal aquifer and nearby Towbrook Stream.

The town of Jay got $600,000 for a structure for its currently uncovered salt pile to protect groundwater within a principal aquifer and the East Branch of the Ausable River

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Tupper Lake

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When the Enterprise asked Jones about water quality grants for Tupper Lake, he said, “You read my mind.” This round of water quality grants does not include Tupper Lake, but Jones said they are working on getting grant funding there.

For years, the town has dealt with discolored water from iron-rich wells, and last month, the village got a 139-page report with several suggested solutions to the problem.

Jones said once village officials pick a plan of action, he’ll work to get them state funding

He’s visited Tupper Lake to discuss the water issue and of the water quality, said, “It’s awful.”

The village has accumulated $7.5 million in grants within the last year for water quality improvements, but the total project will cost a lot more than that.

To read more about the state of Tupper Lake’s water project, go to tinyurl.com/rvu4fyda.