Cheektowaga, NY – Assemblymember Monica Wallace (D-Lancaster) and Senator Tim Kennedy (D-Buffalo) were joined by Village of Sloan Mayor Thomas Ferrucci Wednesday morning to announce over $1.5 million in state funding for the village, which will be used toward the correction of inflow and infiltration (I&I) issues. Sloan is currently under a Consent Order with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to address I&I issues.

"The Village of Sloan has been working diligently to address the DEC Order on Consent and to upgrade its aging infrastructure," said Assemblymember Monica Wallace. "This state investment will help Sloan address costly and environmentally-hazardous inflow and infiltration issues and reduce pollution.” The funding announced today is part of the historic Clean Water Infrastructure Act, which was enacted in the 2017-2018 NYS budget and was designed to help municipalities across the state upgrade their drinking and wastewater treatment infrastructure. “We need to invest in our aging infrastructure to ensure communities like Sloan continue to grow and thrive,” said Wallace.

“Cities, towns, and villages of all sizes across Western New York continue to struggle to update and maintain their aging infrastructure,” said Senator Tim Kennedy. “The Village of Sloan is working hard to do the right thing for taxpayers and the environment, and I’m pleased that New York State is recognizing that with this significant investment in their inflow and infiltration reduction project. I applaud Mayor Ferrucci for taking the lead on this project, and I look forward to continuing to work with the village and state to address these legacy environmental issues.”

“On behalf of the Village of Sloan, I’d like to extend my sincere thanks to Assemblymember Monica Wallace and Senator Tim Kennedy for supporting our application for grant funding,” said Village of Sloan Mayor Thomas Ferrucci. “This funding is critical to the village’s compliance with the DEC Order on Consent, and it will assist Sloan taxpayers in paying for the necessary repairs. Improving the village’s water infrastructure remains a priority to me, and I will continue working with partners in government to update our sewer system.”

Inflow and infiltration issues are not unique to the Village of Sloan. Many municipalities are working to correct this issue which arises from illegal connections of sump pumps, downspouts, and foundation drains directly into the sanitary sewer pipes (inflow), and cracked and leaky pipes that allow groundwater to seep into the system (infiltration).

Located along the border of Buffalo in southwest Cheektowaga, the Village of Sloan is home to 3,500 people, according to recent census estimates. The village’s estimated fiscal responsibility for complying with the DEC Order on Consent is $6.08 million. Today’s funding announcement covers approximately 25% of the overall project.