Capital District Times

Congresswomen Elise Stefanik and Claudia Tenney have formally expressed their support for the City of Watertown’s Defense Community Infrastructure Project (DCIP) grant application. In a letter addressed to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, they endorsed Watertown's request for a $17 million grant aimed at improving its water treatment plant.

The water treatment plant in Watertown supplies a significant portion of drinking water to Fort Drum, making it eligible for Department of Defense (DoD) funding. The proposed improvements are intended to ensure compliance with drinking water quality standards.

In their letter, Stefanik and Tenney emphasized the importance of the project: “The City of Watertown’s WTP plays a critical role in providing potable water to Fort Drum, a cornerstone of our nation's defense infrastructure and a power projection platform for the United States Army. The proposed water quality improvement project will enhance the resiliency of Fort Drum, fortify its water supply, and improve the quality of life for military families and the surrounding communities.”

They further noted that the project aligns with DCIP’s mission: “The City of Watertown’s WTP improvement project aligns directly with DCIP’s mission to ‘address deficiencies in community infrastructure, supportive of a military installation, in order to enhance military value, cadet training at covered educational institutions, installation resilience, and military family quality of life.’ Additionally, water access is classified as defense-related critical infrastructure by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the Federal Emergency Management Agency which increases the priority of this project. Finally, this project is widely supported by Fort Drum and is construction ready. The City of Watertown’s WTP improvement project is fully qualified and deserving of this DCIP funding.”

Watertown City Mayor Sarah Pierce expressed her gratitude: "On behalf of the City of Watertown, I would like to express my gratitude to Congresswoman Stefanik and Congresswoman Tenney for their unwavering support of the City's efforts to secure crucial federal funding for our water treatment project. Their dedication to our community's health and well-being is truly commendable and I am appreciative of their partnership as we work to make this vital improvement a reality."

For more details on this development, read the full letter here.