Gov. Kathy Hochul has approved $9 million in funding for two Chautauqua County water and sewer projects.

One grant, for $5 million, will assist the town of Pomfret’s formation of the North End Water District. The money will pay for “installation of approximately 74,000 linear feet of water mains, two new 100,000-gallon water storage tanks, two pump stations and appurtenances such as hydrants, valves and meters,” according to the Thursday press release from Hochul’s office.

The items are apparently related to a plan by the village of Fredonia to acquire water from the North County Water District through Pomfret. The town is one of the constituent entities of the district. The plan, approved in September by village trustees, would require installation of new pump stations, tanks and lines. Three village residents subsequently sued to halt the plan, a case still pending in state Supreme Court.

The North End district was in the works well before Fredonia’s interest in acquiring water. Pomfret Town Supervisor Dan Pacos subsequently advocated sharing a water tank with Fredonia.

The other $4 million is a grant and interest-free financing package for a North Chautauqua Lake Sewer District project. The project entails “collection system improvements to reduce inflow and infiltration” in the village of Mayville.

Chautauqua County’s $9 million was just a small part of the $135 million announced Thursday for water and sewer infrastructure projects across New York.

Notably, the village of Bath in Steuben County got $2 million in funding to replace lead service lines. A point often made in Fredonia’s long-running water debate is that many of the village’s old lead lines must get replaced, regardless of where it gets the water from.