Officials from Groton have sent a letter to the state Department of Environmental Conservation contesting the projected phosphorus limit for their wastewater treatment plant which drains into the Owasco Lake inlet.

“This new limit was clearly based on political pressure,” said Charles Rankin, the village's clerk-treasurer and administrator. “We are being targeted like we are the only source of phosphorus getting into the lake.”

If the DEC does not change it's requirements, the village will have no choice but to find a way to comply, Rankin said.

Under new DEC guidelines, the plant will be required to reduce phosphorus output to .5 parts per million by 2012.

The plant is currently meeting an output of 1 PPM, down from 4 PPM in 2006, which exceeded state restrictions.

Maureen Wren, a spokeswoman for the DEC, said phosphorus was often associated with algae blooms and increased seaweed growth.

Joseph Wasileski, president of the Owasco Watershed Lake Association, said that Groton was not alone in being targeted for the lake's phosphorus pollution. Farmers had already been required to build buffers around their fields to minimize the fertilizer runoff into the lake and residents who live along the shoreline must have their septic tank inspected every two years to ensure they comply with state regulations.

Wasileski also pointed out that the treatment plant does occasionally meet the .5 parts per million limit.

“(Groton) can do it, they just don't want to have to do it,” Wasileski said. “They seem to want save money and ruin nature. That is a very poor compromise.”

According to DEC statistics, the plant has gotten phosphorus output as low as .06 parts per million in August, 2007, and as low as .5 in five separate months since then.

But for the plant to maintain that kind of output, it would need more renovations in addition to those already planned, Rankin said. One possible addition could be tertiary treatment, which would use wetlands to further reduce phosphorus and other organic pollutants.

Some renovations, such as a filtration system, would also be required at Fingerlakes Aquaculture, Inc, a fish farm which has sent untreated wastewater to the facility since 1999.

Current renovations for the plant are estimated at $3 million and additional renovations may cost the village another $500,000.

“We just don't feel that this is fair,” Ranking said. “We are a small

community whose population has a limited income. It will be an unfair burden to just raise taxes to come up with the extra money.”

Bruce Natale, an environmental engineer for the county's Department of Planning and Development, said Groton could receive state grants and other resources to help come up with the money. The village could also be eligible to receive low interest loans from the state Environmental Facilities Corporation, which provides financing to municipalities for environmental projects.

“What we want is for Groton to get down to the level which Moravia's wastewater treatment plant has been operating at,” Natale said. “For the past 15 years, Moravia has matched that .5 parts per million. It's time to treat these two with parity.”

Staff writer Nate Robson can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 248 or nathan.robson@lee.net