Grant announced by Gov. Hochul will fund replacement of the current aging system, strengthening damage control
By Mirai Abe, Staff Writer
July 1, 2026
TROY — Troy will receive $15.6 million in grant funding and low-cost financing for a new corrosion control system and replacement of the lime feed system at the city’s water treatment plant.
These projects will add to the city’s ongoing efforts to prevent lead contamination in its water system by limiting corrosion in its pipes that could cause lead to seep into drinking water, as it continues work on replacing lead lines throughout Troy.
The funding agreement between the city and state is expected to close this month, according to a spokesperson for the state Environmental Facilities Corporation.
Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the city’s award on June 18 as part of a total of $74 million granted to local governments for water and infrastructure improvement projects. The village of Athens also secured $1.8 million in grants and low-cost financing for sanitary sewer improvements.
“New York is investing billions in water infrastructure because protecting public health and supporting local communities go hand-in-hand,” Hochul said in a news release. “These investments will help municipalities modernize aging systems and deliver the clean, reliable and affordable water that New Yorkers expect and deserve.”
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Troy has received millions of dollars in state and federal funding over the past few years to replace lead service lines, including $12.8 million in 2024, $12 million last month, and $16.7 million in 2025.
Lead pipes have long been a concern among Troy residents. Mayor Carmella Mantello said the city has replaced over 650 lead pipes since 2024, and an estimated 1,300 more have been identified for replacement.
“We’re doing things aggressively, and our commitment is unwavering, and it has been, first and foremost, one of my biggest priorities since day one,” Mantello said.
In 2022, Troy Councilwoman Jona Favreau found that the drinking water at her city residence contained over three times the legal limit of lead after learning that her then-2-year-old son had a high level of lead in his blood. Favreau told the Times Union lead poisoning had “great impacts” on his health.
But Troy’s communications director, Alex Horton, emphasized to the Times Union that city water is currently safe to drink. “Our water is completely fine, just like anywhere else. It’s the pipes themselves.” He said lead does sometimes seep into the water, but the city has a corrosion control system to prevent it.
In 2021, lead measured in city water exceeded the federal action level set by the Environmental Protection Agency, and the agency required Troy to install a temporary corrosion system to inject orthophosphate, said Greg Campbell-Cohen, chair of the City Council’s Public Utilities Committee. The temporary system to inject the chemical — often used to prevent lead from being released into water — lowered the water system’s lead content below the federal action level.
“The corrosion control system can only address damage control,” Campbell-Cohen noted. To tackle the core issue — keeping lead out of drinking water — all the lead pipes need to be replaced, he said.
“What you don’t want to see is relying on corrosion control forever to keep those numbers down because the water is not necessarily safe just because it’s below the federal action level,” he said. “Corrosion control systems can break down over time, and corrosion control can’t keep up.”
Horton estimates the city will finish replacing all the lead pipes it has identified so far by the end of 2027.
“It ultimately depends on how many we end up finding when we achieve that 100% inventory rate on both the public and the private sides of the properties, where the lead pipes are identified,” Horton said.
The city is currently replacing lead pipes in Lansingburgh, and work will soon begin in South Troy, the Stow Hill neighborhood and the East Side. Replacement has been completed on all of Seventh Avenue. Horton said the city will seek more funding for the water infrastructure initiative as it continues.
He acknowledged that projects take longer than the city would like due to the “extremely lengthy” approval process at the state Department of Health and the recruitment of contractors.
“No mother, father, grandparent or child should have to fear turning on that tap … that’s unacceptable,” Horton said. “And that’s why we’re doing this project and why it’s been, and will continue to be, such a priority for this administration.”
July 1, 2026
