The quality and safety of water across the U.S. has continued to make headlines.

In New York, $166 million was earmarked for 187 water quality projects across the state. Some of that money will improve aging infrastructure and combat contributors to harmful algal blooms. 

Other projects will do that while mitigating climate change — like the one at the Central Library in downtown Buffalo.

When you think of a library, you tend to think of books and not about a green roof that helps clean water before it enters the public system. But that is exactly what the project currently underway is doing. It’s in its infancy because this isn’t your typical roofing project. Plus, the library takes up two city blocks — around 400,000 square feet.

Erie County will receive $3 million in funding that will be used to cover the 1-acre green roof. There will be solar panels and plants as well. The goal is to help improve the water quality of rain runoff before it goes into the stormwater drainage system and ultimately flows into Lake Erie and the Buffalo River.

“It would be a way of the county and the library coming together to do our part," said John Spears, director of the Buffalo and Erie County Library. "But then hopefully being a bit of a challenge to other people who are considering doing large roofing projects that they might want to consider something like this.”

As of now, it stands to be one of the largest, if not the largest green roof in Western New York. The hope is to have the roof up and growing within a few years.

Another green stormwater infrastructure project that has received funding is located in the city of Mount Vernon in Westchester County. The project will revitalize its Fourth Street Park with rain gardens, as well as bioretention and porous pavement. This will help stop flooding and improve water quality in the Hutchinson River.