City eyeing $5.4m upgrade to wastewater system

OGDENSBURG — The city is facing $5,400,000 in improvement projects to its wastewater collection system to bring it into compliance with federal and state regulations.

GHD Consulting Engineers LLC, formerly Stearns & Wheler LLC, Cazenovia, did a profile of the city's storm and sanitary collection systems and treatment plant that found the flow exceeds acceptable limits.

To fix that, GHD has submitted a long-term control plan to the city that calls for a goal of capturing 90 percent of the wet-weather-induced combined sewage flow, 5 percent higher than the minimum required by state and federal guidelines.

The collection system that empties into the St. Lawrence River is capturing only 75 percent of the flow, while the Oswegatchie River collection system is capturing 90 percent, according to GHD's John J. LaGorga.

"It's above regulation and our goal," Mr. LaGorga said Monday.

The long-term control plan calls for several projects to help the city become compliant with combined sewer overflow policies and to bring it up to a 90 percent capture rate.

The first calls for hydraulic improvements and weir modifications to maximize the system at an estimated cost of $327,000. Mr. LaGorga said that once completed, the combined drainage flow to the Oswegatchie and St. Lawrence rivers will increase to 93 and 78 percent, respectively.

The second improvement is part of the Paterson Street project that calls for sewer separation of approximately 5,200 linear feet. Mr. LaGorga said green infrastructure initiatives such as permeable pavers, bio-retentions and depressed tree pits, along with the sewer separation, would increase capture of flows for the St. Lawrence River basins to 80 percent. The total project costs for the separation and green initiatives are estimated at $1,500,000.

The final improvement calls for the construction of an 800,000-gallon storage facility to be built underneath the Paterson Street boat launch parking lot. Mr. LaGorga said the storage facility would collect overflow so it could be pumped back to be treated at the wastewater treatment plant later. The cost of that storage facility totals $3,500,000.

"These are important initiatives," Mr. LaGorga said, that could be implemented over an eight-year span.

The total estimated cost for the recommended work is $5.4 million.

To pay for the projects, Mr. LaGorga said, the city could raise its sewer rates, from $307 to $360 per household a year.

"This rate increase is based on financing the projects through a 30-year bond with residents covering the same percentage of wastewater treatment costs as current," GHD said in its long-term plan summary sheet provided to the media Monday.

The final version of the control plan must be submitted to the state Department of Environmental Conservation by the end of January. It will be reviewed by state officials, who will either accept the control plan or call for additional implementations to reduce the overflow, according to Mr. LaGorga.

The City Council will act on the plan at its Jan. 10 meeting.