Facility Plan Amendment
Introduction

1. Background
2. Supplement
3. Conveyances
4. RTF
5. Schedule
Appendices

Midland Avenue RTF and Conveyances: Facility Plan Amendment, June 2003
by Environmental Engineering Associates, LLP
for Onondaga County Department of Water Environment Protection

1. Project background

Quick reference
— 1.1 General
— 1.2 Previously prepared facilities plans
— 1.3 Alternative Sites Evaluation

1.1 General

This section provides a summary overview of the facilities planning efforts completed to date for the Onondaga County (County) Midland Avenue Regional Treatment Facility (RTF) and Conveyances Project being undertaken as part of the County's Amended Consent Judgment (ACJ)-ordered combined sewer overflow (CSO) abatement program. This section also presents a description of the alternative site evaluation conducted to select the recommended site for the Midland Avenue RTF and Conveyances Project.

1.2 Previously prepared facilities plans

The County's initial Facilities Plan for the Midland Avenue RTF and Conveyances Project was prepared and submitted to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) in February 1999. In September 2001, the planning document entitled "Facilities Plan Update with February 1999 Facilities Plan" for the Midland Avenue RTF and Conveyances Project (September 2001 Facilities Plan) was submitted to the NYSDEC. The September 2001 Facilities Plan principally included updated service area overflow information and an updated project phasing/implementation schedule. A copy of the September 2001 Facilities Plan is included as Appendix 1. ,

1.3 Alternative Sites Evaluation

The County's ACJ describes the location of the Midland Avenue RTF as being located near Oxford Street and Onondaga Creek. Selection of this location dates back to facilities planning work completed in the late 1970s to the present day. This location was primarily selected for the RTF for the following reasons:

Restrictions in sections of the County's Main Interceptor Sewer (MIS) downstream of the location as it flows to the Syracuse Metropolitan Wastewater Treatment Plan (Metro);
Confluence of three major County interceptor sewers (Midland, Tallman, and Bellevue trunk sewers) at this location; and
Close proximity to Onondaga Creek.

The Midland RTF site selection process was completed over several years. However, in an effort to address public concerns expressed at a March 23, 1999 public hearing relative to the proposed RTF location, the County undertook an evaluation of potential alternative sites for the RTF. The results of the alternative sites evaluation were presented in the report entitled "Onondaga Lake Improvement Project, Midland Avenue Regional Treatment Facility, Alternative Site Evaluation Overview Document," dated November 1999. A copy of the document is included as Appendix 2.

As presented in the Alternative Site Evaluation Overview Document, four alternative sites to the Oxford Street RTF location were identified (see site descriptions presented in Appendix 2). Each of these sites were evaluated for the potential RTF location based upon the following criteria:

Resident proximity
Business proximity
Public facilities and community enhancement
Site ownership / land use
Engineering considerations and constructability
Environmental considerations
Construction-related impacts
ACJ compliance
Project cost

Based upon the evaluation of criteria described above, the ACJ-identified RTF location near Oxford Street and Onondaga Creek was determined to be the most favorable RTF location for the following reasons:

Utilization of an alternative site for the RTF would only serve to move the construction and operational impacts of the RTF to another portion of the community. No site was identified for which there would be no impacts to residences, businesses, or both.
Two of the four alternative sites would result in impacts to residential neighborhoods, similar to the Oxford Street location.
The alternative sites would increase construction costs (1999 dollars) by $9 million to $22 million.
Each of the alternative sites had the potential for County non-compliance with ACJ major project milestone dates.
Each alternative site would require increased costs for construction, operation, and maintenance to convey CSOs to the RTF (significantly reducing overflows to Onondaga Creek) and convey treated RTF effluent back to Onondaga Creek.

Based upon the November 1999 Alternative Site Evaluation Overview Document, the County has determined the recommended RTF site location to be in the vicinity of Oxford Street and Blaine Street, east of Onondaga Creek.