JAMESTOWN – Chautauqua County was recently awarded $1.2 million through New York State’s Municipal Restructuring Fund (MRF) to develop a Water and Wastewater Cooperative.
The project was originally included in the 2017 Municipal Consolidation and Efficiency Competition plan put forward by the county to New York State to qualify for $20 million in funds. The county ultimately did not win the grant, but County executive George Borrello had said he wanted to continue to pursue as many projects in the plan as possible.
The Water and Wastewater Cooperative would include small municipal water and wastewater systems throughout the county. The primary purpose would be to develop a model to share staff coverage as the nationwide shortage of certified operators continues, and many local operators near retirement.
It would potentially also help small systems reduce staff, as most of the time one employee is all that is needed, but they must employ two so there is coverage in case of emergency or time off for the main operator.
In addition to a shared staffing model, the Water and Wastewater cooperative would organize similar purchases and contracted services such as treatment chemicals and laboratory testing services.
According to a media release from the county, the funding will be released in phases with the phase I award of up to $50,000 to develop a formal project plan and structure.
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