City plan sets goals on sewer overflow

OGDENSBURG — The City Council has agreed on a plan to make $5.6 million in improvements over the next eight years to its wastewater collection system so it will comply with federal and state regulations.

A long-term control plan developed by GHD Consulting Engineers LLC, formerly Stearns & Wheler LLC, Cazenovia, calls for several projects to help the city become compliant with combined sewer overflow limits and to bring it up to state and federal standards.

The goal of the plan is to capture 90 percent of the runoff-induced combined sewage flow, 5 percent higher than the minimum required by state and federal guidelines.

Currently, the collection system tributary to the St. Lawrence River is capturing only 75 percent of the flow, while the Oswegatchie River collection system is capturing 90 percent, according to statistics provided by GHD.

The City Council has approved three major projects to reach the standards. The first would begin this year and the final improvement would begin in 2014 and be completed by 2018.

The first improvement concerns sewer separation of approximately 5,200 feet of Paterson Street at a cost of $1.7 million.

The project will begin this year and end in 2012.

From 2012 to 2014, the next improvement would call for hydraulic improvements and weir modifications to maximize the system. That would cost approximately $400,000.

The final control improvement would be the construction of an overflow storage facility at a cost of $3.5 million. The 800,000-gallon facility would be built underneath the Paterson Street boat launch parking lot.

The storage facility would collect overflow so it could be pumped back to be treated at the wastewater treatment plant after high flows have subsided.

To pay for the projects, GHD has proposed that the city raise its sewer rates, from $307 per household per year to $360 a year.

Such a move also would allow the city to finance the projects through a 30-year bond.

City Manager Arthur J. Sciorra said the long-term control plan will be submitted to the state Department of Environmental Conservation this month by GHD.

If DEC accepts the plan, the city will be obliged to follow the controls outlined in it.