Tonko Announces $959K Federal Grant to Village of Ravena for Drinking Water Improvements

RAVENA, NY - Congressman Paul D. Tonko announced today that the Village of Ravena has been awarded $959,752 in federal grant funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to rehabilitate and replace outdated infrastructure in the Village's aging drinking water system. Tonko secured funding for this project as part of the Fiscal Year 2024 Community Project Funding (CPF) process.

"Children and families here in our Capital Region and beyond deserve access to clean, safe drinking water," Congressman Tonko said. "But for too long, our hidden yet critical water infrastructure has been left unaddressed - and our communities have paid the price with lasting impacts on their health and well-being. That's why I fought so hard to secure this funding and ensure that residents of Ravena have the peace of mind that comes with having safe, reliable water to drink. With this award, the Village of Ravena will be able to bring its drinking water system up to modern standards - delivering public health benefits to the community for generations to come."

"I cannot express how much this generous grant will help us to improve our infrastructure and production and delivery of good, clean drinking water for the thousands of residents across the three different communities that we serve," said Bill Misuraca, Mayor of the Village of Ravena. "All of our community members will greatly benefit from this project. Working with Congressman Tonko's office has been a pleasure and we hope to continue this teamwork into the future, to ensure our communities continue to benefit from constructive collaborations such as this!"

The Village of Ravena's drinking water system dates back to the 1890s, with some original components still in service. Despite multiple capital improvement projects undertaken in recent years, some areas of the system are still showing signs of deterioration and nearing the end of their useful life. In order to ensure the system's continued functionality, this funding will help address deficiencies at the Moxley Street Pump Station, two finished water storage tanks, and throughout the distribution system.

This effort is one of over 1,000 congressionally directed water infrastructure projects for which Congress appropriated funding in FY 2024, totaling over $1.4 billion in critically needed resources to support water system improvements across the nation. This funding also draws on resources from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF), for which Congressman Tonko has worked tirelessly to secure full funding through standalone legislation and through the general appropriations process. The DWSRF, a federal financial assistance program to help states ensure safe drinking water for their communities, has provided tens of billions of dollars to improve local water systems since its establishment in 1996.

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