OWASCO - State Department of Environmental Conservation officials paid a visit to the town of Owasco Thursday morning to see the site where flooding had occurred Dec. 23 and where a sewer line was pumped out in response to water flooding nearby residents' basements.
On Thursday night, at the Owasco Town Board meeting, town supervisor John Klink, carefully explained several issues of concern to about 50 residents.
Klink, highway superintendent Mike Wilson, and councilman Edward Wagner had met with DEC officials.
Because state law requires a permit for using a discharge pipe to discharge wastewater into surface waters or groundwaters of the state, the town may have violated the law.
“I expect a fine and a consent order,” Klink said.
The board also passed a resolution to approve a preliminary proposal from engineers Barton & Loguidice to study the flooding issue. They planned to send the letter approving the study Friday morning.
“We will do everything we can to solve that problem,” Klink said.
The backup of sewers into residents' basements on Dec. 23 was due to 14 inches of melting snow with 3/4 inch of rain overtaxing the system where two 8-inch pipelines, one from Owasco and one from Sennett, merge about 600 feet apart into the Auburn line.
“The meter on Havens Avenue averages 90,000 gallons a day, but on Dec. 23, meters registered 280,000 gallons of water,” Klink said. “We pumped for about three hours because of different problems people had on Archie Street and Havens Avenue.”
He said the choice was to either allow water to get into people's cellars or to pump it.
Even if the town hadn't taken action, the fire department would have pumped out the line to protect the residents, Klink said.
Wilson said on Dec. 23, he received calls from three residents at about 6 p.m. He had already called his employees to deal with flooded roads in the town.
“Our town was under water,” Wilson said. “We saw water in places I hadn't seen in 22 years.”
He said by the time he got the calls, Klink was already riding around to assess the situation and the fire department was pumping other areas.
The highway department actually used a gas pump to go down into a manhole in the Havens Avenue/Archie Street section to relieve the pressure. He said they had pumped the area out once or twice a year before.
Barton & Loguidice had dealt with the problem two years ago, he said. At that time, they estimated it would cost about $850,000 to reroute the sewage to a different area through a pump station, possibly running one mile of sewer main to a tank storage area with a capacity of 400,000 gallons that the town already owns.
But this would only be one option that the engineering company could consider during the new study. Wilson said four or five different options could be looked at and that the engineers might work with the city of Auburn to see what they could do.
“We are looking for the easiest and best way to provide a long-term fix as well as look into the future,” he said, adding that the town had an application in with the state for funding, but now the cost of the project will have increased.
The pipeline in the area is made of two-foot sections of clay tile, circa 1933.
“We would have to lay at least a good half-mile of all new pipe,” he said. “We're probably talking around $1 million.”
In other news:
* Councilman Douglas T. Buchanan read a letter of apology addressed to the people of the town regarding his failure to think before speaking at the Dec.13 town board meeting. At that time, when he was deputy supervisor, he used a slur in reference to people of Italian heritage in reference to Jerry Vevone, then the town's code enforcement officer. Vevone wanted the town board to apologize.
* County tax bills have now been adjusted to correct the clerical error that resulted in errors on residents bills. Everyone was notified with cards from the town and the bills were mailed Thursday. Taxpayers should receive a yellow bill on Friday with the correct amount.
* Mark Kukiela, of Oakridge Road, complained of duck hunters shooting from boats. He said that the sheriff's office told him Federal Waterfowl Guidelines indicate this is legal. He might be able to lobby the county if there is a public safety issue.
Staff writer Kathleen Barran can be reached at 253-5311, ext. 238 or kathleen.barran@lee.net
Klink, highway superintendent Mike Wilson, and councilman Edward Wagner had met with DEC officials.
Because state law requires a permit for using a discharge pipe to discharge wastewater into surface waters or groundwaters of the state, the town may have violated the law.
“I expect a fine and a consent order,” Klink said.
The board also passed a resolution to approve a preliminary proposal from engineers Barton & Loguidice to study the flooding issue. They planned to send the letter approving the study Friday morning.
“We will do everything we can to solve that problem,” Klink said.
The backup of sewers into residents' basements on Dec. 23 was due to 14 inches of melting snow with 3/4 inch of rain overtaxing the system where two 8-inch pipelines, one from Owasco and one from Sennett, merge about 600 feet apart into the Auburn line.
“The meter on Havens Avenue averages 90,000 gallons a day, but on Dec. 23, meters registered 280,000 gallons of water,” Klink said. “We pumped for about three hours because of different problems people had on Archie Street and Havens Avenue.”
He said the choice was to either allow water to get into people's cellars or to pump it.
Even if the town hadn't taken action, the fire department would have pumped out the line to protect the residents, Klink said.
Wilson said on Dec. 23, he received calls from three residents at about 6 p.m. He had already called his employees to deal with flooded roads in the town.
“Our town was under water,” Wilson said. “We saw water in places I hadn't seen in 22 years.”
He said by the time he got the calls, Klink was already riding around to assess the situation and the fire department was pumping other areas.
The highway department actually used a gas pump to go down into a manhole in the Havens Avenue/Archie Street section to relieve the pressure. He said they had pumped the area out once or twice a year before.
Barton & Loguidice had dealt with the problem two years ago, he said. At that time, they estimated it would cost about $850,000 to reroute the sewage to a different area through a pump station, possibly running one mile of sewer main to a tank storage area with a capacity of 400,000 gallons that the town already owns.
But this would only be one option that the engineering company could consider during the new study. Wilson said four or five different options could be looked at and that the engineers might work with the city of Auburn to see what they could do.
“We are looking for the easiest and best way to provide a long-term fix as well as look into the future,” he said, adding that the town had an application in with the state for funding, but now the cost of the project will have increased.
The pipeline in the area is made of two-foot sections of clay tile, circa 1933.
“We would have to lay at least a good half-mile of all new pipe,” he said. “We're probably talking around $1 million.”
In other news:
* Councilman Douglas T. Buchanan read a letter of apology addressed to the people of the town regarding his failure to think before speaking at the Dec.13 town board meeting. At that time, when he was deputy supervisor, he used a slur in reference to people of Italian heritage in reference to Jerry Vevone, then the town's code enforcement officer. Vevone wanted the town board to apologize.
* County tax bills have now been adjusted to correct the clerical error that resulted in errors on residents bills. Everyone was notified with cards from the town and the bills were mailed Thursday. Taxpayers should receive a yellow bill on Friday with the correct amount.
* Mark Kukiela, of Oakridge Road, complained of duck hunters shooting from boats. He said that the sheriff's office told him Federal Waterfowl Guidelines indicate this is legal. He might be able to lobby the county if there is a public safety issue.
Staff writer Kathleen Barran can be reached at 253-5311, ext. 238 or kathleen.barran@lee.net
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