FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 13, 2003

SCHUMER BOOSTS DUNKIRK'S EFFORT TO UPGRADE WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT

Dunkirk needs $6.1 million in federal funding to upgrade wastewater treatment plant but population makes city ineligible for grant

Schumer succeeds in getting waiver that would exempt Dunkirk from federal eligibility requirement

US Senator Charles E. Schumer today said that he successfully inserted a provision in the budget Congress is expected to pass this week that would exempt Dunkirk from a population requirement that has kept it from qualifying for a federal funding that would help upgrade its Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Dunkirk is seeking $6.1 million from the USDA Rural Development Office to help pay for a $15 million upgrade of the facility. But Dunkirk has been unable to qualify for the aid because the program is limited to municipalities with less than 10,000 residents. Dunkirk's population is 14,000.

"We've taken a big step forward in the effort to help Dunkirk make the improvements needed to fix up the wastewater treatment plant. This exemption will help the city qualify for funding that will help its efforts to create new jobs," Schumer said. "With Dunkirk's unemployment rate above state and national averages, the city can't afford to lose any more jobs. Upgrading the waste treatment plant will help food processing companies like Cliffstar stay in the area."

"Another hurdle is cleared in the fight to get the funding in place for improvements to Dunkirk's Wastewater Treatment Plant and secure jobs for Chautauqua County residents," said Chautauqua County Executive Mark Thomas. "Once again, Senator Schumer has come through for the people of Chautauqua."

Schumer said the plant upgrade is needed for companies like Cliffstar, Fieldbrook, and Carriage House to maintain and expand their presence in Dunkirk. The current plant has grown obsolete and the city has been in violation of its State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit dozens of times over the past two years. The companies have incurred significant costs looking for alternative waste disposal methods, spending resources that might otherwise have been devoted to capital investments geared toward creating jobs.

Schumer first inserted the provision into the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Bill and shepherded it through the budget process.

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