N.Y. Environmental Conservation Law § 15-1513

§ 15-1513. Payment of cost of construction.\n 1. The cost of any such project shall be certified by the department\nto the applicant and shall be paid by the applicant within thirty days\nthereafter to the persons or corporations entitled thereto. Either total\nor partial costs may be thus certified, as the department shall\ndetermine. The applicant is hereby authorized to pay such costs from\nfunds which have been raised, or which it is authorized to raise for the\npurpose of waterworks construction.\n 2. It shall be unlawful for the applicant to pay out, for any purpose\nother than those specified in this section, any funds which it shall\nhave certified to the department to be available for defraying cost of\nthis construction, until such time as the department shall have\ncertified to the applicant that all construction costs have been paid.\n