The Village of New Berlin is undergoing an $18.6 million project to repair the village's water system. (Photo by Jessica Benson.)

NEW BERLIN –  The Village of New Berlin is undergoing a massive $18.6 million project to repair their village water system.

To date, the project has received $6.7 million in funding from three different agencies. This week, Governor Kathy Hochul’s office announced that the village will receive an additional $2 million as part of the Community Development Block Grant.

According to New Berlin Mayor Peter Lennon, the water project is being done in four pieces. The first phase of the project involves the villages three wells. Two of the wells will be acted on. The third will be discontinued. “The level is secure,” Lennon said. The two continuing wells will be used on alternating months to ensure the water supply is sufficient.

Phase two of the project is for the treatment facility and pump house.

“That project is in the final stages of the design process,” Lennon said. As part of the project an entirely new treatment and pumphouse facility will be built.

Phase three includes the storage facility. Currently the village has a 400,000 gallon water storage tank.

“It needs minor modifications,” Lennon said. Those modifications include painting, repairs to the cat walk, and additional drain and flow pipes. “The storage facility is in good shape. It’s scheduled for annual inspection in the next few weeks.”

The final phase of the project is to replace most distribution lines within the village.

“There are a couple streets that do not need to be upgraded,” he said.

Newer lines on some streets require no replacements, but many of the lines in the village date back to the early 1900s. In total, the project calls for the replacement of 35,000 linear feet of distribution lines. The old lines are mostly cast-iron pipes.

Many will be replaced with larger diameter pipes to increase the flow and reduce fragility in the lines. Lennon explained that due to the age of the distribution lines, sediment can build up in the pipes, making them vulnerable to surges when there is a sudden increased demand, such as a fire. He explained that while the village is currently meeting state firefighting standards, they are on the edge in some areas, and the increased flow will allow them to fix that issue.

New Berlin was previously granted $5 million from the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation, $1.5 million from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and $200,000 from the Susquehanna River Basin Corporation. In addition, they have been offered several million in low interest loans. The Community Development Block Grant will provide an additional $2 million for any cost not covered by the other funding sources. New Berlin was one of just 24 awardees in Upstate New York.

Work on the project is scheduled to begin in mid to late summer of 2026 and is expected to continue until September or October of 2027. Currently, the village is working to obtain construction easements from approximately 80 business and residential properties. There are approximately 45 that are still outstanding.

“The work is in the area of the sidewalks, but we would repair everything to its original state,” said Lennon.

The mayor acknowledged that the scope of the project has changed a little, he believes this project is a great service to the community. He said the cost to the community would be in the area of $1 per day and due to the decreased need for operations and maintenance, he is hoping there will not be an increase in the quarterly water bills.

Lennon said the community can expect a public meeting with an update on the design and the status of construction in late February.