Embedded Files
Overview
Overview
Like many rural areas, the North Country faces housing shortages, aging housing stock in need of costly upgrades, and a lack of the skilled professionals needed to face these challenges. Additionally, infrastructure like roads, culverts, and municipal water and waste systems are facing challenges due to climate change and road salt runoff. Public transportation systems vary by locality and many ACORN participants express a desire for more widespread and robust public transportation systems.
Check out the full report to read more about the efforts specific organizations in the North Country are undertaking to tackle these issues and the solutions proposed by listening session participants.
Cover photo courtesy of North Country Climate Club.
Affordable, Climate-Resilent Housing
Affordable, Climate-Resilent Housing
The lack of affordable, climate-resilient housing is a critical issue in the North Country. Residents frequently cite the aging housing stock, the need for energy-efficient upgrades such as insulation and heat pumps, and the scarcity of qualified contractors. Additionally, the limited availability of funding for housing upgrades, particularly in older homes containing hazards like mold, lead, or asbestos, further exacerbates the issue. This gap in housing availability also contributes to a workforce shortage, as skilled workers struggle to find affordable housing in the area despite available jobs.
Like most of the state and nation, the North Country has experienced rising real estate and construction costs, which adds pressure to the affordable housing market. This is especially challenging in a region where household incomes are often lower than the state average. Residents are also concerned about the risks posed by flooding on existing housing stock, as well as in identifying locations for new development.
"The Loft apartments under construction in Saranac Lake." Adirondack Explorer, Sep 15, 2024 (News photo: Tim Rowland)
Public Transportation
Public Transportation
Public transport networks exist in most, but not all, areas of the North Country and they are used, but often ACORN participants either didn’t know how to access the transportation, or the stations are still too far from and don’t serve certain population centers, or people feel the sometimes limited schedules didn’t address their needs. Amtrak service was discontinued during the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as during the summers of 2023 and 2024 due to extreme heat causing tracks to be unsafe. Participants also pointed out the car-centric culture that made it difficult to have walkable, bikeable communities and widespread support for increased development of public transit options.
“Everything seems to have been designed for cars. Some of my neighbors run on the side of the road, but there is very little room on the shoulders and I worry about their safety. Some of my buggy-riding Amish neighbors have been involved in terrible accidents with cars and trucks.”
-Participant in Mohawk Valley ACORN Listening SessionRoads & Culverts
Roads & Culverts
Rural communities in Northern New York face increasing challenges from climate change, particularly in the form of more frequent and intense rainfall, flooding, and erosion, but they have no budget to deal with the impact either in advance of the extreme weather, or after.
Aging and undersized road-stream crossings, such as culverts and bridges, are frequently the reason that flooding causes road damage and closures, cutting off access to homes, communities, businesses, hospitals and other critical services. This is especially true in many areas of the North Country where steep streams and limited road networks amplify the impact.
The need for region-wide funding for culvert upgrades is essential. Many ACORN participants shared stories of 100+ year old culverts and structures in their communities that are still managing stormwater, and they are either failing or at risk of failing at any moment. Replacing outdated culverts with properly sized, climate-resilient designs is a critical need.
Because of freeze-thaw cycles and heavy road salt use, roads often develop potholes quickly, even if they were just repaved the year before. Funding for climate-aware resurfacing methods, materials, and winter maintenance are needed to make road surfaces last longer and be safer for travel.
Drinking Water Wells & Road Salt
Drinking Water Wells & Road Salt
Road salt contamination of residential and commercial drinking water wells is a major concern in the region. The Paul Smith’s College Adirondack Watershed Institute conducted a study in 2019 that found that 64% of 500 wells tested exceeded EPA safe sodium ingestion limits, with the most contaminated wells located downslope of state highways. The contamination poses health risks, including hypertension and kidney disease, and it corrodes plumbing and appliances like washing machines. At a recent state budget hearing, AdkAction raised concerns about the NYS Department of Transportation’s slow progress in carrying out the recommendations of the Adirondack Road Salt Reduction Task Force. Highway crews around Lake George and the Town of Peru, among others, are finding success and significant cost savings in implementing the Task Force recommendations.
"Mirror Lake in Lake Placid is seen on April 16, 2023." Lake Placid News, Apr 20, 2025 (News photo: Andy Flynn)
Municipal Water & Sewers
Municipal Water & Sewers
Many rural communities in the North Country are facing water and sewer infrastructure challenges that are potentially threatening to public health and water quality and limit community development and build-out capacity in hamlet areas. Sewage overflow during storm events is a problem for some communities on the Raquette River. The Town of Elizabethtown currently lacks a public wastewater system, though it is the Essex County seat and has a school, hospital, detention center, and other public facilities. Elizabethtown, like many other communities in the region, has had drinking water violations due to the nature of the water source, treatment methods, and aging infrastructure.
Improving and expanding municipal water and sewer services in designated Hamlet areas of the Adirondack Park creates the infrastructure needed to support affordable housing in the heart of small communities. This is critical to infill Hamlet areas and uphold the clustered development laid out in Adirondack Park Land Use and Development Plan, but also to meet demands into the future that are brought on by a changing climate.
In the Adirondack Park and throughout the North Country, the lack of affordable housing combined with the potential for housing pressure from “climate migration” means that towns and villages need to plan and implement now to strengthen municipal services and keep development in small downtowns for future economic benefit and community livability and accessibility.
Septic Systems
Septic Systems
A board member of the Adirondack Park Agency at the ACORN mini listening session with Members and Designees in March 2025, said that while municipal sewer system improvements have an important “macro” role in protecting water quality, it is important to not forget the “micro-scale” need to upgrade individual septic systems, especially around lakes and ponds.
As climate change brings more frequent and intense rainstorms, upgrading septic systems with larger drainfields, raised mounds, or other advanced treatment methods may become necessary. Heavy or prolonged rainfall can saturate the soil around a septic system’s drainfield, making it unable to properly absorb and filter wastewater. This can lead to system backups or pooling of untreated sewage. When the ground stays saturated, the lack of oxygen reduces the system’s ability to break down harmful bacteria and nutrients, weakening its overall treatment efficacy. Oversaturated systems can leak untreated sewage into nearby wells, streams, and lakes.
Page updated
Report abuse