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Syracuse Mayor Stephanie A. Miner and U.S. Congressman Paul Tonko (D-Amsterdam) today called on the federal government to increase resources available to local governments to support water infrastructure needs.

“With over a quarter million water main breaks nationally each year resulting in expensive repairs, cities need help from all levels of government to address their water infrastructure challenges,” said Syracuse Mayor Stephanie A. Miner. “Old pipes need repair and ultimately replacement at astronomical costs that cities like Syracuse, Albany, and Amsterdam just cannot shoulder. We also have seen great advancement in water delivery technology which can improve the lifespan of existing pipes and help detect breaks in the future. We need our federal partners to step up and support these efforts with grant aid to so local governments can continue to deliver clean, affordable water to residents every day.”

“Aging, inadequate, and broken water infrastructure is a problem in communities of every size and has required attention from the federal government for decades,” said Congressman Paul Tonko. “In Albany, our pipes were built when Rutherford B. Hayes was President 135 years ago. Smaller water systems require technical assistance as well as the resources required to integrate efficient, renewable energies into their operations. Simply put, communities big and small are not getting what they need from Washington, and Congress has to give them the tools they need to solve the problems they have today before they become disasters tomorrow.”