A perfect storm Dec. 23 left the town of Owasco with a tough choice - to let homeowners' basements flood or to relieve pressure on the sewer line by pumping it into a trench along Melrose Road.

Maureen Wren, public outreach specialist for the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), said town officials acknowledged that sewage was drained into a ditch on Melrose Road near Archie Street and it had happened before.

How much of the runoff was raw sewage isn't clear. Town officials say it was mainly rainwater.

The water eventually flowed into Hunter Brook, which goes into Hoopes Park's pond and finally drains into the Owasco River.

“We hadn't informed Auburn or other downstream officials when Owasco told us,” Wren said. “The municipalities are required to have a permit to discharge. They could potentially be in violation of DEC regulations.”

In fact, state law requires a permit for constructing or using an outlet or discharge pipe that discharges wastewater into the surface waters or ground waters of the state. Violations are subject to DEC enforcement, which may include civil or criminal court action, fines, or an order to perform remedial action.

Whether or not the town is penalized depends on the negotiation process with the DEC, Wren said.

The DEC is conducting an investigation and Wren said it would help the town.

“We dump (sewage water) into Auburn,” said Gino Alberici, Owasco town councilman, referring to the city's wastewater system. “Auburn could handle no more. The downpour was such that we could not go into the system.”

Alberici described the situation as a “catch-22.”

“Either it goes into people's homes, or you divert it,” he said.

In fact, Auburn's sewer system handles runoff from the towns of Aurelius, Fleming, Owasco, and Sennett, according to Albert Cockrell, Auburn's sewer supervisor.

“That's one thing I could see outlying towns looking into,” he said. “The city went through a big sewer upgrade. Look at what was added since then.”

Cockrell explained that foundation drains around houses, often with perforated pipe, prevent runoff water from getting into the foundation and that these are tied into the main sewer lines.

“When you have all that water from foundation drains, it loads up to the point in the sewer main where it can't handle it anymore,” he said.

He pointed out that warm temperatures as well as a downpour of .9 inches of rain on top of the meltdown, led to the backup.

“It's like filling up a sink and then pulling the plug,” Cockrell said. “It all flows down at once.”

Most sewer systems are designed to handle six-hour storms or rain events, he said.

“It's going to take a lot of study to see the best way to go,” he said of Owasco's problem. “Most designs would be cost prohibitive to really plan for.”

“You're in a corner,” Alberici said. “Without a grant, it's impossible.”

Owasco had been pursuing an $850,000 federal grant to address the sewage problem but was turned down, he said.

The town's engineers, Barton & Loguidice, are trying to help the town reapply for the grant, he added.

They expect to be updated some time this week.

Wren said the town might be able to get low-cost or no-cost bonds through the Environmental Facilities Corporation, which is a state entity.

Meanwhile, homeowners can take some measures to avoid repeated backups.

If a drain is not really needed, they can cap it. They can also install backwater valves that allow water to drain but not come back in.

“It's a temporary solution because you can't then run water inside when it's raining hard out,” Cockrell said.

“I don't think there's ever going to be a solution to everything. You can't predict how bad a storm is going to be.”

Staff writer Kathleen Barran can be reached at 253-5311, ext. 238 or kathleen.barran@lee.net