New Hartford considering own sewage plant

By ELIZABETH COOPER

Observer-Dispatch

Posted Jun 27, 2010 @ 05:32 PM

Last update Jun 27, 2010 @ 06:20 PM

NEW HARTFORD —

Town Supervisor Patrick Tyksinski is mulling the possibility of building a sewage treatment plant for the town.

It’s just one of many options he said he is looking into to help New Hartford cope with the looming $26.1 million in state-mandated sewer repairs that are part of an area-wide consent order.

“I believe it’s my obligation, and I believe the town is looking to me and the board to say what’s best for the town, not the sewer district,” Tyksinski said.

In 2007, the state hit Oneida County with a consent order demanding that repairs be made to sewers in municipalities along the Sauquoit Creek sewer line by October 31, 2014. The estimated cost for the entire system is $158 million.

This winter, the Oneida County Sewer District, which is overseeing the project, released its preliminary estimates of what each of nine municipalities along the Sauquoit Creek line would owe.

The town of New Hartford’s cost was estimated at more than three times New York Mills’ $8.5 million bill, the second highest on the list.

Tyksinski already has expressed concern over the fact the town might be paying more than its fair share of the total costs.

County Water Quality and Water Pollution Control Commissioner Steven Devan said he didn’t think a new sewage treatment plant was viable.

“It’s an expensive proposition,” Devan said. “And the discharge point would be the Sauquoit Creek, and I just don’t think the DEC would issue another permit for a discharge into the Sauquoit Creek.”

A win-win?

But Tyksinski said if New Hartford had its own sewage treatment plant, it could help the county with its larger problem.

“I’m not an engineer,” he said. “But if you could put a sewage treatment plant in New Hartford, maybe you bypass the county’s plant.”

After heavy rains, storm water seeps into sanitary sewer lines and forces raw sewage into the Mohawk River at the Sauquoit Creek pump station.

If New Hartford’s sewage was channeled to a different plant, Tyksinski said, it could mean less sewage flowing into the county’s Sauquoit Creek system.

Steve Litwhiler, a spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Conservation, said if New Hartford chose to built its own treatment plant, it would be a first.

“That has never happened in New York state,” he said of a municipality that already was in a sewer district deciding to opt out again.

He said that building a sewage plant without first addressing storm water issues could be “prohibitively expensive.”

“The more (storm water inflow) that is removed from the wastewater, the smaller the waste water treatment plant that would be needed,” he said, adding that the smaller the plant, the cheaper it would be.

Weedsport

Tyksinski pointed to a sewer treatment plant project in the village of Weedsport as a possible model.

The village of Weedsport is in the process of making $6.2 million in upgrades to its 40-year-old treatment plant, village Mayor Jean Saroodis said.

The system covers about 2,000 people, which is far fewer than the number New Hartford’s system would have to support.

Figures showing how many sewer customers New Hartford has were not immediately available, but the town has a population of more than 20,000, according to the 2000 Census.

Saroodis said her village had a storm water problem similar to the one the Sauquoit sewer line municipalities have, but had worked to address it before upgrading the plant.

“We have taken care of the storm water,” she said. “You’ve got to take care of that first.”

The village of Clinton has its own sewage treatment plant, which empties into Oriskany Creek, Mayor Robert “Gill” Goering said.

That system covers Clinton’s 1,952 residents, some nearby residents of the town of Kirkland and Hamilton College. Total figures for users were not immediately available.

Board members’ views

Tyksinski and his Town Board members said they understood the storm water issue would need to be resolved.

Like Tyksinski, they said they would need far more information before moving forward with a new treatment plant.

“Obviously everything has to be looked at from all angles,” board member Christine Krupa said.

Board member Rich Woodland Jr. said he thought the plan would be far too expensive.

“Just the start-up costs would be astronomical,” he said.

The town late last year approved a 46 percent tax increase due to fiscal troubles.

Board member David Reynolds said it was unusual in this era of consolidation for the town to be looking at splitting from the sewer district.

“I’m not sure we are going to save any money going out on our own,” he said.

Board member Don Backman, too, said he didn’t think having a separate treatment plant would be cheaper, but he did want to make sure the town didn’t pay more than its share for the state-mandated repair costs.

“I don’t foresee us paying someone else’s share, and I don’t foresee us going it alone,” he said.

Copyright 2010 The Observer-Dispatch. Some rights reserved

Issue: In 2007, the state hit Oneida County with a consent order demanding that repairs be made to sewers in municipalities along the Sauquoit Creek sewer line by Oct. 31, 2014. The estimated cost for the entire system is $158 million.

New Hartford impact: The Oneida County Sewer District, which is overseeing the project, estimates the town's share of the work would be $26.1 million.

Concerns: New Hartford town Supervisor Patrick Tyksinski said the town might be asked to pay more than its fair share of the total costs.

Options: Tyksinski is weighing the idea of building a sewage treatment plant for the town, among other options.