Facilities plan

1. Background
2. Treatment
3. Alternative sites
4. Approaches
5. Evaluation
6. Optimized plan
7. Schedule
Appendices

Env info document

Clinton Street CSO Abatement Project Facility Plan (Nov 2005)
by Environmental Engineering Associates, LLP
for Onondaga County Department of Water Environment Protection

1. Project background

Quick reference
— 1.1 Amended Consent Judgment
— 1.2 CSO control evaluations
— 1.3 Summary of Clinton Street service area overflows
— 1.4 Clinton Street CSO abatement facilities plan
— 1.5 Clinton Street CSO abatement Environmental Information Document
— 1.6 Clinton Street CSO public participation

This section provides a brief background of the Onondaga County (County) Clinton Street Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Abatement project being undertaken as part of the County's area-wide CSO abatement program. To assist the reader, a list of abbreviations used in this report is included as Table 1-1.

Table 1-1. Abbreviations

ACJ Amended Consent Judgment

ASLF Atlantic States Legal Foundation

BOD Biochemical Oxygen Demand

CDS Continuous Deflective Separation

CSO Combined Sewer Overflow

EID Environmental Information Document

ENRCCI Engineering News Record Construction Cost Index

MCP Municipal Compliance Plan

MIS Main Interceptor Sewer

NYSDEC New York State Dept of Environmental Conservation

O&M Operation & Maintenance

ORF Overflow Retention Facility

RTF Regional Treatment Facility

SWMM Storm Water Management Model

TKN Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen

TP Total Phosphorous

TSS Total Suspended Solids

USEPA United States Environmental Protection Agency

1.1 Amended Consent Judgment

In January 1989, Onondaga County entered into a Judgment on Consent with the State of New York and the Atlantic States Legal Foundation (ASLF) in settlement of litigation initiated in connection with alleged violations of state and federal water pollution control laws. The conditions of the Judgment on Consent require the County to perform a series of engineering and scientific studies to evaluate the need for upgrading the Metropolitan Syracuse Sewage Treatment Plant (Metro) and providing treatment of CSOs that occur within the Metro service area.

Based on the results of those studies, and in consultation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), the County developed a plan for upgrading the Metro plant and providing treatment of CSOs. The County submitted a proposed Municipal Compliance Plan (MCP) to NYSDEC and ASLF on January 11, 1996. Subsequent negotiations with regard to the proposed MCP resulted in the execution of an Amended Consent Judgment between the parties, which was executed by the U.S. District Court on January 20, 1998. This ACJ replaced and superseded the Consent Judgment entered on February 1, 1989.

Pursuant to the ACJ, Onondaga County is required to implement a CSO control and upgrade program that achieves the following:

Elimination or the capture for treatment of no less than 85% by volume of the combined sewage collected in the combined sewer system during precipitation events on a system-wide average annual basis;
Elimination or minimization of floating substances in Onondaga Lake attributed to the County's CSOs; and
Achievement of water quality standards for bacteria for all portions of Onondaga Lake that are classified as "Class B" pursuant to 6 NYCRR Part 895.

1.2 CSO control evaluations

Many alternatives for the control of CSO discharges have been considered for the Syracuse combined sewer system during recent years, as described in the County's CSO Facilities Plan of 1991 and the CSO Evaluation Report of May 2001. The more cost-effective recommendations involving minimal structural improvements have already been implemented, and significant reductions in the magnitude and frequency of CSO events have resulted. A decision on appropriate actions to implement final CSO controls was delayed as the efficacy of controls, emerging regulatory requirements, and the ability of the County to fund such improvements in the absence of substantial state or federal assistance programs were evaluated. As defined in the ACJ, a program was proposed to achieve compliance with the goals of the NYS CSO Control Strategy and the Federal CSO Control Policy.

The CSO abatement program includes both interim and major projects to address water quality problems. The first series of projects included both demonstration projects, the conclusions of which were incorporated into subsequent projects, and projects with a high benefit-to-cost ratio. These projects are categorized as "interim" and were implemented between 1998 and 2002. The second series of projects, termed "major," represent those projects which will be needed to achieve substantial compliance with federal and state requirements.

1.3 Summary of Clinton Street service area overflows

The MCP prepared for the County in 1996 presented a program for CSO control and upgrade that is intended to comply with the ACJ requirements. The Clinton Street CSO Abatement project is one of the MCP CSO projects to be undertaken by the County pursuant to the ACJ. The service area tributary to this project is the second largest in the County's combined sewer system and, as such, will provide significant water quality benefits as part of the County's overall CSO control and upgrade program.

The Clinton Street CSO service area encompasses approximately 970 acres of urban residential, commercial and industrial areas. A site location map of the Clinton Street CSO service area within the City of Syracuse is presented on Figure 1-1. There are 10 permitted CSOs within the Clinton Street service area.

Figure 1-1. Clinton Street combined sewer service area

Figure 1-1. Clinton Street combined sewer service area

Table 1-2 lists these overflows and their location to nearby streets.

TABLE 1-2. CLINTON STREET COMBINED SEWER SERVICE AREA OVERFLOWS

No. ID Drainage in acres Location

1 027 134 West Fayette Street - East

2 028 24 Walton Street - West

3 029 8 Walton Street - East

4 030 312 West Jefferson Street - East

5 031 25 West Jefferson Street - West

6 032 25 Tully Street - West

7 033 18 Dickerson Street - West

8 034 214 Gifford Street - East

9 035 23 Gifford Street - West

10 036 188 West Onondaga Street - West

Total 971

Click to enlarge

A map depicting the location of these overflows within the Clinton Street CSO service area is presented on Figure 1-2.

As presented in the 1996 MCP, when completed, the Clinton Street CSO Abatement project would prevent overflows from existing CSOs 027, 028, 029, 030, 031, 032, 033, 034, 035, and 036 up to the 1-year frequency, 2-hour duration, 15-minute rainfall interval design storm event (1-year design storm event).

1.4 Clinton Street CSO abatement facilities plan

This Facilities Plan report has been prepared to summarize the preliminary planning for the project. A separate Engineering Report will be prepared at a later date to describe the project in greater detail, clarify project scope and issues, and present the basis of design to be used in preparation of Contract Documents for the construction of the project(s).

1.5 Clinton Street CSO abatement Environmental Information Document

A separate Clinton CSO Abatement: Environmental Information Document (Feb 2005) (EID) has been prepared for the Clinton Street CSO Abatement project. The EID serves as a companion document to this Facilities Plan.

1.6 Clinton Street CSO public participation

Since the initiation of this facilities planning study in February 2000 until the preparation of this report, the County has scheduled and attended numerous public presentations and/or informational meetings with interested parties. The purpose of these meetings was to inform the interested parties of the progress of the facilities planning efforts and to obtain input relative to potential issues and concerns that may be associated with implementing the CSO abatement facilities with the Clinton Street CSO service area. A summary listing of these meetings is presented in the companion Clinton CSO Abatement: Environmental Information Document (Feb 2005).

Additional public meetings will be scheduled to review the information presented in this Facilities Plan and the companion Clinton CSO Abatement: Environmental Information Document (Feb 2005).

1.7 ACJ CSO compliance milestone schedule

The following is a summary of the current ACJ construction milestone dates related to the Clinton Street CSO Abatement project:

Milestone Date

Commence construction of conveyances Oct 28, 2004

Commence construction of RTF Oct 28, 2004

Complete construction of conveyances May 1, 2007

Complete construction of RTF Jan 1, 2012

Onondaga County is currently in negotiations with the parties to the ACJ regarding revisions to milestone dates for several ACJ projects including the Clinton Street CSO Abatement Project.