Catskill Watershed Corporation reports $24 million invested in 2024; septic, stormwater, wastewater and economic programs detailed
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Summary
At its annual meeting in Arkville, the Catskill Watershed Corporation presented 2024 program results: CWC disbursed roughly $24 million across programs, replaced 281 septic systems in 2024 (more than 7,000 to date), advanced community wastewater and flood projects, and described loan and public education activity.
The Catskill Watershed Corporation (CWC) used its annual meeting in Arkville to summarize 2024 program activity and to present details of several infrastructure and community projects.
"Overall, we provided over $24,000,000 into the watershed this year, mostly in the form of grants," said Jason (first name only in the transcript), summarizing total disbursements and program reach.
Why it matters: CWC's grants, loans and technical programs fund septic replacement, municipal and community wastewater projects, flood mitigation, stormwater compliance, business loans and public education across the West-of-Hudson watershed. These investments affect water quality, flood resilience and local economies.
Major program highlights reported at the meeting:
- Septic program: Mitchell Hall, septic program manager, said CWC replaced 281 septic systems in 2024, bringing the lifetime total to more than 7,000 systems. The residential program funded full-time residents for a percentage of replacement cost (full-time residents eligible for 80%, nonprimary residents 60% per transcript). The expanded septic program assisted small businesses, nonprofits and local governments. CWC reported the program treated roughly 2.3 million gallons of septage per day when extrapolating average use from replaced systems.
- Community wastewater and flood mitigation: John Matheson, program manager and environmental engineering specialist for the community wastewater program, reviewed projects including Hopkinsville (decommissioning tanks and installing force mains), New Kingston (28 septic decommissions, a generator, control building, remote leach fields), and a stream-restoration stabilization tied to a $5,000,000 project to protect a leach field. Flood projects included a Walton building flood-hardening grant of about $800,000, a Prattsville house lift supported by a grant of more than $330,000 (CWC provided 75% of funding), a Tannersville stream-stabilization project of about $1,300,000, and Andy Central School work (approximately $1,500,000) done with Delaware County Soil and Water.
- Stormwater: Rachel Berger, stormwater program manager, said the board has approved more than $16.5 million in the future stormwater program, roughly $3.8 million through the MOA 145 program, and the retrofit program has approved about $25 million since inception. In 2024 CWC awarded close to $2.5 million in stormwater funding: 77% of that work was in Greene County and 20% in Delaware County. She called out municipal, nonprofit and business projects that installed bioretention basins, infiltration systems and detention ponds.
- Flood buyouts and erosion: CWC described buyout and demolition activity for properties at risk from erosion and flooding, including a fast-tracked Mount Tremper demo where the stream had eroded to within a few feet of a house and exposed a septic tank.
- Economic development / Cascio Fund for the Future: Barbara Felicie and Lynn Kavanaugh summarized the Cascio Fund, a self-sustaining loan fund established from an initial appropriation. In 2024 CWC approved 12 loans totaling $5.9 million to businesses, repeat borrowers and one municipality. Notable recipients included lodging, event venues, and local retailers and service firms.
- Public education: Samantha Costa said the public education program awarded 37 grants in 2024 totaling about $197,000 and intended to reach more than 21,000 students, teachers and public audiences. Program examples included trout-in-the-classroom, field trips to local environmental centers, and community-stream cleanups (94 volunteers across six groups in 2024).
Operational and efficiency notes: Staff cited program efficiency metrics: CWC said 91% of funds across some contracts went directly to grants in 2024 and reported substantial reductions in average time from sign-up to completion for septic replacements (average days reduced to 470 days from when tracking began in 2019).
Ending: CWC staff and board said major near-term priorities include the Shokan wastewater project (expected to connect more than 500 properties and move to bid), continued septic-receiving feasibility studies at municipal plants, workforce-development initiatives, and a community vitality study to inform future programming.
