New Rochelle Awarded $400,000 State Grant to Reduce Road Salt Pollution

ALBANY, NY (Oct. 30, 2026) — New Rochelle will receive a $400,000 state grant to purchase specialized snowplow blades and equipment designed to reduce road salt pollution in local streams, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Friday.

The city will use the funding to implement a citywide road salt reduction program, purchasing segmented plow blades and truck-mounted brine spray systems to increase its use of liquid salt brine. The project is intended to reduce the amount of rock salt used on city roads and the chloride entering local waterways.

The grant is part of more than $249 million awarded to 181 water quality protection projects across New York state. The funding will support improvements to drinking water supplies, aging water infrastructure, wastewater treatment systems and aquatic habitats.

New Rochelle’s award is among projects funded through the state Department of Environmental Conservation’s Water Quality Improvement Project program, which is distributing more than $246 million to 139 projects. The program supports projects that directly improve water quality, protect drinking water sources, restore habitats and reduce flood risks.

The state is allocating $17 million in Clean Water Infrastructure funding for salt storage and road salt reduction efforts through its “Don’t Be Salty, New York” campaign. The initiative includes specialized snowplow blades, brine-making equipment, brine storage tanks and technology to improve winter road maintenance.

Other communities receiving grants include Franklin County, which was awarded $600,000 to construct an enclosed sand and salt storage building to reduce runoff into the Lower Salmon River and Lower Trout River watersheds. Peekskill received $2.5 million to repair structural deficiencies and inadequate spillway capacity at the Lower Wiccopee Dam, while the Niagara Falls Water Board received $10 million to upgrade its wastewater treatment plant to improve water quality in the Niagara River.

Hochul said more than $206 million of the statewide funding will benefit environmental justice communities that may be disproportionately affected by environmental pollution. The state also awarded approximately $122 million for 63 projects in watersheds that have experienced harmful algal blooms during the past five years or that address recommendations in state action plans.

“Access to clean water is a fundamental human right, which is why under my administration New York has made record investments to improve water quality across the state,” Hochul said. “Today’s grants build upon those historic investments helping our local communities upgrade essential infrastructure, enhance resiliency against flooding caused by severe weather and protect habitat and water quality for all New Yorkers.”

The grants were awarded through the state’s Consolidated Funding Application process, which allows municipalities and other applicants to seek funding from multiple state programs through a single application. Funding for the Water Quality Improvement Project program comes primarily from the 2022 Clean Water, Clean Air, Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act, the Environmental Protection Fund and the state’s Clean Water Infrastructure program.

This article was prepared with the assistance of AI tools under the direction and editing of Robert Cox.

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