Referred to:  The Energy, Environment and Sustainability Committee (Chairwoman Greene and Legislators Hansut, Erner, Maloney, and Stewart), The Public Works, Capital Projects and Transportation Committee (Chairwoman Petit and Legislators Fabiano, Litts, Nolan, and Stewart), and The Ways and Means Committee (Chairman Gavaris and Legislators Cahill, Fabiano, Ronk, and Walter)

Chairwoman of the Energy, Environment and Sustainability Committee, Manna Jo Greene, and Deputy Chair Gina Hansut offer the following:

WHEREAS, this resolution has been submitted at the request of the County Executive on behalf of the Department of the Environment; and

WHEREAS, Ulster County’s waters are essential to the health and welfare of all its citizens as well as to the function of ecological communities; and

WHEREAS, the County is committed to working towards increasing the resilience of our water systems and relevant infrastructure and identifying and addressing vulnerabilities due to climate change; and

WHEREAS, Resolution No. 445 of 2017 designated the Ulster County department of the Environment as the County’s Water Quality Management Agency pursuant to New York State County Law Article 5 § 220-A; and

WHEREAS, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Water Quality Improvement Project (WQIP) program is a competitive, statewide reimbursement grant program open to local governments and not-for-profit corporations to implement projects that directly improve water quality or aquatic habitat or protect a drinking water source; and

WHEREAS, the County desires to submit an application for the WQIP Salt Storage project type to improve the function and efficiency of the County’s salt storage facilities through upgrades including the replacement of roof fabric at six (6) salt storage locations through Capital Project No. 636; and

WHEREAS, through prior road stream crossing assessment work, the County has identified a road stream crossing location, known as the Woodstock #2 crossing, at Wittenberg Road (County Route 45) in the Town of Woodstock, that is a high priority for replacement as it poses a significant barrier to aquatic connectivity; and

WHEREAS, with funding from the Hudson River Estuary Program and NEIWPCC in 2020, the County completed a shovel-ready culvert design for the replacement of the Woodstock #2 crossing, including an analysis of design storm flows, hydraulic modeling of the existing and proposed culverts, subsurface explorations, topographic survey, shovel-ready design plans, and an opinion of probable costs for the project; and

WHEREAS, the County desires to submit an application for the WQIP Aquatic Connectivity Restoration project type to fund the construction and material costs for the replacement of the Woodstock #2 crossing; and

WHEREAS, if awarded, the Department of the Environment will partner with the Department of Public Works for administration and implementation of the grant project(s); now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, that the Director of the Ulster County Department of the Environment is hereby authorized to submit an online application through the New York State Consolidated Funding Application to the New York State Water Quality Improvement Project (WQIP) Grant Program Salt Storage project type for improvements and upgrades to Ulster County salt storage facilities up to the grant category maximum award of $500,000; and, be it further

RESOLVED, that the Director of the Ulster County Department of the Environment is hereby authorized to submit an online application through the New York State Consolidated Funding Application to the New York State Water Quality Improvement Project (WQIP) Grant Program Aquatic Connectivity Restoration project type for a road stream crossing replacement project up to the grant category maximum award of $250,000,

and move its adoption.

ADOPTED BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE:

AYES:                        NOES:    

Passed Committee: Energy, Environment and Sustainability on _______________.

Passed Committee: Public Works, Capital Projects and Transportation on _______________.

Passed Committee: Ways and Means on _______________.

FINANCIAL IMPACT:

TBD – POTENTIAL CAPITAL PROJECT REVENUE