Mandate Relief Comes With Release of Stormwater Funds

Town officials are expected to approve an inter-municipal agreement Tuesday night that will allow Bedford, , to receive funds to help pay for federally-mandated stormwater retrofits.

Last week, the Westchester County Board of Legislators approved the release of up to $10 million grant funding from the East of Hudson (EOH) Water Quality Improvement Program for distribution to Bedford, Cortlandt, Lewisboro, New Castle, North Castle, North Salem, Pound Ridge, Somers, Yorktown and the Village of Mount Kisco to help pay for program costs resulting from reducing phosphorus in the New York City water supply.

The requirements are part of the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency Phase II Stormwater regulations, which mandate that each small municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) in the New York City watershed obtain a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit. 

If that seems like a mouthful—in short, the MS4 requirements mandate that towns and villages in New York control and cleanse stormwater runoff, whether coming from municipal or private property, that will make its way into the surface waters.

In approving the release of funds, Majority Leader Peter Harckham (D-Katonah) said he was pleased that the BOL voted to help the towns in the Croton watershed shoulder the costs of the environmental mandate.

“The East of Hudson money gives these municipalities the ability to put projects in place that meet requirements set by the federal and state mandates without putting the cost on local taxpayers,” he said.

The inter-municipal agreement will have a term of five years, according to a BOL press release. Any work or projects undertaken by the town of Bedford will be managed locally.

In other town business

Council members are also expected to confirm the payout of laid-off employees; appoint a new police officer and re-appoint a member of the Tree Advisory Board.

And on Wednesday morning, re-elected town board members, Chris Burdick and David Gabrielson, and Kevin Quaranta, town justice, will be sworn in in a morning ceremony at town hall on Wednesday at 9 a.m.