An agreement has been reached on how money will be used from a settlement with the former owner of the Retsof Salt mine, which collapsed over 20 years ago.
The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation entered into a $20 million dollar settlement agreement with Livingston County, the Attorney General's Office, and Akzo Nobel Salt, Inc.
Livingston County Administrator Ian Coyle says they got the most money they could, $17 million, which will go to to water supply and infrastructure projects.
"Completely and specifically dedicated towards the impacted area towards the water resource issue. So I think that's as good of a win you can get given the circumstances."
Coyle says $11 million dollars will go toward surface water and water supply infrastructure repair and maintenance, and $5 million is dedicated to projects to protect the drinking water sources for communities impacted by the mine collapse.
$3 million will be used by the state to monitor groundwater, while another $1 million will go to Livingston County for a contingency fund.
The agreement also calls for the closure of a desalination plant that was built after the mine collapsed.
