The town of Randolph will receive a $4.5 million grant and low-cost financing package for the planning, design and construction of wastewater treatment plant improvements, the governors office announced Thursday.

Meanwhile, the village of Andover in Allegany County will receive a $1.4 million grant for the development of a new groundwater well to provide needed source redundancy and replace an existing noncompliant spring source.

The funding for both municipalities was approved by the Environmental Facilities Corporation Board of Directors, which gave the OK for $200 million in financial assistance for water infrastructure improvement projects across New York state.

The board’s approval authorizes municipal access to low-cost financing and grants to get shovels in the ground for critical water and sewer infrastructure projects, from treatment processes to remove emerging contaminants from drinking water, to replacing lead service lines and modernizing aging systems, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office stated. Officials said the investments protect public health and make projects more affordable, reducing the need for higher rate increases to fund improvements.

The board had previously approved interest-free financing in addition to the grant to support the Andover project.

“Clean water is a fundamental right, and New York is leading the way in making sure communities have the resources they need to protect it,” Hochul said. “This funding will help … communities across the state make critical upgrades to aging infrastructure, reduce pollution, and deliver safe, reliable water, while protecting the pockets of New Yorkers.”

The governor’s office indicated New York “continues to increase its nation-leading investments in water infrastructure,” including more than $2.2 billion in financial assistance from EFC for local water infrastructure projects in fiscal year 2024 alone. The next round of EFC’s Water Infrastructure Improvement and Intermunicipal Water Infrastructure Grants is now open at efc.ny.gov.

Hochul has announced $325 million for this round EFC funding.