Lowey Announces $765,000 Federal Grant to Purchase College for Green Infrastructure Project

EPA funds to help Purchase College implement green infrastructure and retrofit campus pavement

PURCHASE, NY – December 17, 2014 – (RealEstateRama) — Congresswoman Nita M. Lowey (D-Westchester/Rockland), the Ranking Member on the House Appropriations Committee, today announced a $765,000 federal grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to Purchase College to implement green infrastructure when retrofitting campus pavement.

“We must do all we can to create a sustainable environment and pass along a greener planet to the next generation,” said Lowey. “These federal dollars are helping communities across New York and right here in Purchase maintain our natural surroundings, create safer communities, and reduce our carbon footprint. As Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee, I will continue to protect funding that enhances our ability to create a sustainable future for the Lower Hudson Valley.”

Funded by EPA, the grant was awarded through the New York State Clean Water Revolving Fund’s Green Innovation Grant Program, and will allow Purchase College to implement green infrastructure practices as a living laboratory for students and the general public. Bioretention and porous pavement retrofits will be used to demonstrate how green infrastructure can be incorporated through the larger campus and improve water quality of Blind Brook, which flows into the Long Island Sound.

“We look forward to the environmental benefits that the grant accrues,” said Tom Kelly, Senior Energy Manager at Purchase College. “We plan to put in two green infrastructure projects. One is porous pavement so that when the water flows, rather than it go down the storm drain, it will permeate the surface, water the grass, alleviating ponding on the sidewalks, and the earth will get much needed water. The other is a bioswale to divert water away from the hardscape and letting the earth take care of it. Everyone here is happy to have the ability to give back to the college and to the environment.”

Congresswoman Lowey is a leader in the fight to protect America’s air, land, and water, and to stop global climate change. She is consistently among the Members of Congress rated highest by the League of Conservation Voters (LVC). As former Co-Chair of the Long Island Sound Caucus and a founder of the Hudson River Congressional Caucus, Lowey has secured tens of millions of dollars to protect and rehabilitate these fragile ecosystems.