Gov. Kathy Hochul announced $12 million in state grant money Wednesday to tackle lead pipe replacement in the city of Poughkeepsie.

The grant was made available through federal infrastructure legislation. Hochul said it’s up to the state to ensure that making drinking water safe isn’t a burden on city taxpayers. 

“The federal government can take us so far and then we need some help to get over the finish line," she said. "And that's why I'm combining state funds with the federal dollars where costs are not fully covered.”

It's funds that are needed for Poughkeepsie.

Mayor Yvonne Flowers said replacing all lead pipes in the city could cost more than $100 million, so this was an important first step that the city will use strategically. 

“When we do start to replace the lead pipes, we're going to do it in more dense areas where we can hit more pipes," she said. "We're going to have to be more strategic about how we do the lead pipe removal to make sure that those dollars stretch, because this is only a small portion of what we need.”