February 2026 Update

Since the start of 2026, the Allegany County Comprehensive Sewer Study has made significant progress as we transition from gathering data to drafting our final roadmap for the future. Our team has worked with experts to find the most affordable ways to improve your sewer systems while protecting our local water and environment. We have developed a list of priority projects based on where they are needed most and how they can be built most efficiently to save costs. All of this work is now being pulled together into a final report that will help guide the county’s growth for years to come. We still want to hear from you, so please click here to take the survey and share your thoughts!

Throughout 2025, the Allegany County Comprehensive Sewer Study progressed by focusing on municipal outreach, technical data collection, mapping, and the development of a public informational website.  Efforts to date have included identifying existing wastewater infrastructure and needs, identifying potential future service areas, and identifying planning initiatives that promote public health and environmental protection and support economic development.

Municipal outreach included meetings with public officials from most of the communities in Allegany County, County Health Department and planning officials, local code enforcement officers and wastewater treatment and collection system operators. The public officials provided an understanding of local needs, public interest and challenges being faced by the communities. Meetings with the operators provided valuable insight into current collection system and treatment works conditions, current operating capacities, growth constraints and available capacity to treat flow from future service areas.

Outreach meetings with communities without public sewers allowed discussing the goals and benefits of the study, gauging community interest in public sewers, and identifying areas for new community facilities or where economic development initiatives could occur.

Maps were prepared to facilitate the discussions that depict current and potential wastewater service areas, natural communities, potential environmental justice areas, aquifer types, streams and wetlands, archeological sensitivity areas and drainage basins within Allegany County.  Mapping efforts relied on GIS datasets provided by Allegany County and New York State, limited sewer system mapping provided by various communities, and feedback provided by collection system operators.

As of November 2025, the study is transitioning from data gathering and outreach to data analysis, where initial findings will be compiled and made available and presented to the public. We encourage all community members to complete the survey available on this website. Please feel free to reach out with any questions or comments.