Clayton plans sewer improvements

CLAYTON —The village plans to invest more money to improve its aging sewer system to accommodate development, such as the ongoing Frink site revitalization project.

"A lot of the sewer pipes are more than 100 years old, and the sewage treatment plant was renovated about 30 years ago. Things are going to happen to it if we don't do anything," Mayor Norma J. Zimmer said. "We've got to bite the bullet and invest some money into the system."

In July, the village submitted a long-term combined sewer overflow plan to the state Department of Environmental Conservation, which told village officials in 2006 to complete the plan within two years if it wanted to develop the area further.

The plan identifies ways to keep rainwater out of the village's sanitary sewer system and decrease sewer system overflow running into the St. Lawrence River during moderate rainfalls and periods of snowmelt.

With the long-term plan in place, the village is moving forward with a $130,000 pumping station upgrade to reduce sewage overflow.

The plan is to increase the maximum capacity of the Riverside Drive pumping station by approximately 50 percent by replacing impellers and two old pumps.

The village also will install new instruments, monitoring equipment and flow-metering equipment at the station to quantify the amount of sewage running into the St. Lawrence River each year. The existing flow meters at the pumping station measure only the duration of overflows and not the volume.

The village was awarded a $100,000 state Economic and Community Development Program grant for the project and has budgeted $30,000 under its sewer funds this year to cover the remaining costs. The grant was secured by state Sen. Darrel J. Aubertine, D-Cape Vincent, in September.

Ms. Zimmer said the village hopes to complete the project before the next tourism season.

The village also is developing an asset management plan for its sewage department, she said.

The village hired O'Brien & Gere Engineers Inc., Syracuse, to make a list of the village's sewer facilities and equipment and determine the life expectancy of each item.

Village officials will meet with representatives from O'Brien & Gere and the Development Authority of the North Country to discuss the assets management plan at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the municipal building on Mary Street.