ELIZABETHTOWN — In response to questions from residents and businesses, Elizabethtown Town Council gave an update on the wastewater system.
"A lot of people have called and want to know what's happening," Town Supervisor Margaret Bartley said.
Concerns have been expressed about the lack of progress and information concerning the treatment system, which passed 64-28 in a public vote in July 2010 after having been defeated in January of that year.
WORK LEFT TO DO
It is expected that it will take about six months to have the necessary paperwork filed, get permits, receive responses from the property owners to determine hookup locations and get easements.
Two sign-up meetings will be scheduled, one in March and another in May, at which town officials and a notary public will be available to sign the approximately 150 easement papers.
PLANNED FOR YEARS
There has been a history of inaction concerning a wastewater system, Bartley pointed out, showing several plans that date back to 1966.
"Our 2005 water system is the envy of the Adirondacks," she said. "We have a lot of things in E'town we should be thankful for. "We are now looking at the future of E'town.
"Now we have a really good location for the plant, but we have lost a lot of stimulus money as we were not shovel-ready. We have to be shovel-ready by Dec. 21, 2012, or we will lose grant money.
"If it was shovel-ready today, it would take 18 months to complete," she added.
SYSTEM SETUP
Engineer Donald Fletcher, vice president of Barton and Loguidice, and engineer Liz Urban reviewed the system plans, which have basically remained unchanged since the vote.
The proposal would locate the treatment facility at an area behind the work sheds on the town-owned Cobble Hill Golf Course.
The system includes two pumping stations and four grinders. It will not need effluent filters or the hauling of sludge for off-site processing.
Green technology has been infused into the system with subsurface discharge accomplished via rapid-rate infiltration systems and on-site sludge processing via reed beds, as well as an irrigation pond at the Golf Course for water reuse.
The reed beds are expected to result in low operation and management costs, low energy requirements and a 10-year maintenance cycle.
The system would include gravity sewers, individual grinder stations, pump stations and a treatment plant.
The plant features screening, biological treatment, infiltration basins, on-site sludge processing and water reuse with disinfection, according to permit limits set by the State Department of Environmental Conservation.
BIG CAPACITY
It is expected that the system will be able to handle from 75,000 to 90,000 gallons a day. Figures show that the average discharge from a residence is about 100 gallons a day.
Currently, wastewater is contained by individual systems. Because many home septic systems are antiquated, there has been concern about leaching into the river. New regulations make it difficult and expensive for landowners to replace the current systems — something of particular worry for residents on Water Street, which is close to the river and has homes on small lots.
Some of the larger water users, such as Elizabethtown Community Hospital, the Essex County Government Center and Horace Nye Nursing Home, now have to have their septic systems pumped frequently.
COSTS
The anticipated cost for the entire system has been placed at $9,550,000.
The annual cost for a typical one-family home is projected to be $362 per year. Hookup is included in the initial construction costs, as are septic closures for the current systems.
The hookups would be situated to handle wastewater from the first floor and above, so if a dwelling has a bathroom or other water-use facilities in a basement, it would be the homeowner's responsibility to pump the water. Water from sump pumps may not be sent into the system.
Maintenance would be through a licensed operator, who would be on call in case of a malfunction.
Generators would be installed in case there are power outages
Bartley plans to go to Washington, D.C., in the near future to speak with Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer and Congressman Bill Owens to see what can be done to secure more funding.
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