New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman on Oct. 8 announced an agreement between his office, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), the Atlantic States Legal Foundation, and Onondaga County that directs environmental-penalty funds toward projects to reduce sewage overflows to Onondaga Lake and its tributaries. The funds originate from a 1996 court […]
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New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman on Oct. 8 announced an agreement between his office, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), the Atlantic States Legal Foundation, and Onondaga County that directs environmental-penalty funds toward projects to reduce sewage overflows to Onondaga Lake and its tributaries.
The funds originate from a 1996 court order against Onondaga County related to water-quality violations at its Metropolitan Syracuse Wastewater Treatment Facility.
The U.S. District Court for the northern district in Syracuse approved the projects, Schneiderman’s office said in a news release.
The agreement identifies two projects targeted for funding, including the green-infrastructure demonstration project in Syracuse’s Near Westside neighborhood, and an erosion and sediment-control project in the village of Solvay.
Both projects are intended to enhance the county’s ongoing work to reduce sewage overflows and improve water quality in Onondaga Lake and its tributaries, Schneiderman’s office said.
Just a few decades ago, some considered Onondaga Lake “the most polluted” body of water body, but its recovery since then has been nothing short of “remarkable,” Schneiderman said in the news release.
“Today, through the cooperation of state agencies and local government, water quality is improving, the ecosystem is recovering, and people are once again embracing the lake as an economic, recreational, and cultural treasure,” Schneiderman said.
The green-infrastructure projects fit “perfectly” with Onondaga County’s “ambitious,” ongoing program to capture and treat polluted runoff, “dramatically” reduce combined-sewer overflows, limit localized flooding, recharge aquifers, and “beautify” the urban landscape, DEC Commissioner Joe Martens said in the news release.
“Gov. Cuomo’s NYS 2100 Commission strongly promotes the use of green infrastructure, and the collaborative partnership to clean up Onondaga Lake is a national model that demonstrates how green infrastructure can be part of an effective strategy to restore a valued water body that has suffered extensive contamination,” Martens said.
Onondaga County Executive Joanie Mahoney thanked the attorney general’s office for investing the projects.
“Our community has been investing for many years in the cleanup of Onondaga Lake — and we are seeing tremendous results,” Mahoney said in the news release.
The Central New York Regional Planning and Development Board will implement the projects under a contract with the DEC, according to the attorney general’s office.
The agreement will pay for the green-infrastructure demonstration project, which is occurring in the vicinity of West Onondaga Street in Syracuse’s Near Westside, the attorney general’s office said.
When heavy rains produce excess storm water in this area, it overwhelms the sewage-collection system and leads to untreated-sewage overflows into Onondaga Creek, a tributary of Onondaga Lake.
After siting and design work, the funding will help pay for disconnecting downspouts and installing rain barrels to redirect storm water away from the sewer system.
The project also involves planting trees, constructing rain gardens, and installing porous pavement to allow rainwater to percolate directly into the ground.
Once constructed, local officials will be monitor the projects to gauge their effectiveness, and they’ll conduct tours and other outreach efforts.
The total project costs are estimated at $250,000, the attorney general’s office said.
The erosion and sediment-control project in the village of Solvay will occur on the 3.2-acre site of the Solvay Youth Center, which is adjacent to the Solvay village and Geddes town offices on Woods Avenue, according to Schneiderman’s office.
A hill in the rear of the building is severely eroding, resulting in the discharge of sediment and phosphorous into Harbor Brook and into Onondaga Lake.
The funding is intended to help stabilize and terrace the eroding slope, install storm- water controls to better manage runoff, and plant shrubs and grass to keep soil in place.
The total project costs are estimated at $93,505, the attorney general’s office said.
Assistant Attorney General Norman Spiegel and John Davis, a scientist with the attorney general’s environmental-protection bureau are handling the matter, under the supervision of bureau chief Lemuel Srolovic; Alvin Bragg, executive deputy attorney general for social justice; and Janet Sabel, first deputy for affirmative litigation, Schneiderman’s office said.
Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com