Twenty million dollars is coming to Erie County for water infrastructure upgrades, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Tuesday.

The funding will go toward the Erie County Water Authority’s completion of a long-awaited $80 million overhaul of water filters that treat 60 million gallons of water from Lake Erie daily.

The state says the filters have not had substantial upgrades in 70 years.

“Water is our very essence, and when we don't protect our water and the systems that deliver it, we put our communities at risk,” Hochul said in a statement. “Today, we're delivering significant funding for the first major upgrade to Erie County's water systems, helping ensure over half a million people have access to clean drinking water for decades to come.”

“Reliable access to clean water is vital to our health and to the Western New York economy,” state Senator Sean Ryan said in a statement. “It's something we often take for granted until it's gone. This investment in modernizing ECWA's filtration systems will ensure residents of Erie County can remain confident that our water supply is safe and dependable. I thank Governor Hochul for prioritizing upgrades to our clean water infrastructure here and throughout the state.”

According to the governor’s office, the funding marks the beginning of a major infrastructure project that aims to ensure that up to 180,000 Erie customers served by the Van de Water Treatment Plant will not be impacted by prolonged service interruptions, and can respond to increased demands on the system.