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Harbor Brook Environmental Information Document (Aug 2005)
by Brown and Caldwell and EcoLogic
for Onondaga County Dept of Water Environment Protection
1. Description of proposed action
The proposed project is designed to abate the combined
sewer overflows (CSOs) into Harbor Brook. CSOs are
relief points in the wastewater collection system
designed to operate when the hydraulic capacity of the
pipes is exceeded. CSOs direct a mixture of storm
water and untreated sanitary wastewater to nearby
water bodies.
The discharge of untreated sewage through CSOs to
Harbor Brook affects the water quality of the creek
and contributes to conditions where the bacterial
levels measured in nearshore regions of Onondaga Lake
adjacent to Harbor Brook exceed the fecal coliform
bacteria standards set in 6 NYCRR Part 703.4. These
exceedences of the bacteria standards occur during and
subsequent to precipitation events that trigger
operation of the CSOs. Fecal coliform bacteria are a
type of bacteria whose natural habitat is the colon of
warm-blooded animals, such as humans. While most fecal
coliform bacteria are not harmful, their presence is
used as an indicator of the potential presence of
pathogenic (disease causing) microorganisms associated
with recent fecal contamination. When fecal coliforms
are present in waters in numbers that exceed ambient
water quality standards, those waters are considered
impaired for contact recreation.
CSOs also contribute to the release of floating solids
in violation of 6 NYCRR Part 703.2. The term floating
solids or "floatables" is used to describe those
materials that float at or near the water surface, and
can include neutrally buoyant materials that are
carried along within the flow. Besides being unsightly
in the water bodies, floatables may also be a source
of pathogens and Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD).
CSO-related pollutants have a negative impact on the
ecology of natural waters and contribute to problems
in other areas of the environment. The nature of
floatable material can vary widely, and can include:
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Street litter such as plastics, paper, and cigarette butts
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Natural material such as leaves, branches, and twigs
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Sewage-related material such as condoms, tampons, toilet paper, fecal matter, and other material flushed down toilets.
There are 18 NYSDEC-permitted CSOs within the Harbor
Brook project area; as listed in Table 1-1 these
overflow points handle a combination of sewage and
stormwater flows from drainage basins ranging in size
from 6 to 350 acres. Locations of the CSOs and
proposed CSO abatement facilities are shown in Figure
1-1.
| Table 1-1. Harbor Brook combined sewer overflows |
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CSO
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Location
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Drainage area (acres)
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LOWER BASIN
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063
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Emerson Ave. - SW
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122
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003
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Hiawatha Blvd
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112
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004
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State Fair Blvd
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350
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MIDDLE BASIN (covered section of Harbor Brook)
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005
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W. Genesee & Sackett
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13
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006
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Park Ave & Sackett (west)
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10
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006A
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Park Ave & Sackett (east)
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7
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007
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Richmond Ave & Liberty
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24
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008
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Lakeview Ave & Liberty
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6
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009
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W Fayette (west)
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28
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010
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W Fayette (east)
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16
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011
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Gifford St @ Fowler H.S.
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20
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013
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Seymour St
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12
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UPPER BASIN
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014
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Delaware St
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196
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015
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Herriman & Grand Ave
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40
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016
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Lydell St
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9
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017
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Hoeffler St
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25
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018
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Rowland St
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145
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078
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Bellevue Ave & Velasko Rd
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86
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(Source: Brown and Caldwell, 2004)
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Figure 1-1. Location of CSOs and proposed CSO abatement facilities in HB project area
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This CSO abatement project is among the requirements
of the (ACJ) dated January 1998. As described in
Section 1.2.1 of this document, various engineering
improvements are required by the ACJ to bring Onondaga
Lake and its tributary streams into compliance with
the requirements of the Clean Water Act. To assist in
meeting these requirements, the proposed Harbor Brook
project will involve the conveyance, storage, and
high-rate treatment of overflows (up to the 1-year,
2-hour design storm) in two Regional Treatment
Facilities
(Section 4.1),
and other facilities as necessary and appropriate.
The proposed level of abatement will have significant
positive consequences on both environmental quality
and public health. By reducing the amount and
frequency of CSO discharges, less floatables,
bacteria, and associated pollutants will reach
Onondaga Lake via Harbor Brook. This will improve the
aesthetics of both water bodies and work towards the
restoration of conditions supporting recreational use
of Onondaga Lake.
In January 1998, the Northern New York Federal
District Court signed an Amended Consent Judgment (ACJ) between Onondaga
County, the State of New York, and the Atlantic States
Legal Foundation, establishing a phased 15-year
program of upgrades and improvements to the County's
wastewater collection and treatment system. The ACJ
includes three major elements:
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Changes to the wastewater and stormwater collection systems to reduce Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs).
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Improvements to the Metropolitan Syracuse Wastewater Treatment Plant (Metro) to provide a higher level of treatment to wastewater prior to discharge. The primary objective of these improvements is to significantly reduce ammonia and phosphorus
concentrations in the treated effluent and thus reduce loading of the pollutants to Onondaga Lake.
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Monitoring Onondaga Lake, the lake tributaries, and the Seneca River to track their response to the pollution abatement actions through an Ambient Monitoring Program (known as the AMP).
Specific language in the ACJ regarding CSO improvements is quoted below:
CSO CONTROL AND UPGRADE COMPLIANCE SCHEDULE
14. The County shall design, construct, maintain, and modify and/or supplement, as necessary, a CSO control and upgrade program in accordance with DEC CSO guidance, as set forth in TOGS 1.6.3 (CSO Control Strategy), which implements the "presumptive
approach" in EPA's CSO control policy, as set forth in 59 F. R.18688 (April 18, 1994). The County's program shall achieve the following:
A. 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 annual average basis,
B. elimination or minimization of floating substances in Onondaga Lake attributed to the County's CSOs, and
C. 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.
To achieve compliance with the above requirements, the
County shall complete the specific tasks by the
applicable milestone compliance date set forth in the
CSO Control and Upgrade Schedule. and hereby made an
enforceable part of this Amended Consent Judgment. All
elements of the CSO Control and Upgrade program shall
be completed and in full operation on or before
January 1, 2012. Consistent with the EPA's CSO Control
Policy, the County shall implement such additional
upgrades and other measures, subject to DEC's
approval, as may be necessary to ensure that the CSO
discharges remaining after implementation of the CSO
Control and Upgrade Program do not cause or contribute
to conditions in violation of water quality standards
or impair the designated best uses of the receiving
waters.
The NYSDEC monitors the quality of the State's waters
to determine whether water quality and habitat
conditions support their designated uses. When water
quality and habitat conditions are problematic,
waterbodies may be placed on one or both of two
important lists of impaired waters. The first list is
the State's Priority Waterbodies List (PWL) for river
basins. The second is the 303(d) list, named for the
section of the federal Clean Water Act directing
States to periodically report to the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) on the status of water
resources.
The 1996 NYSDEC PWL for the Oswego-Seneca-Oneida River
Basin included two Harbor Brook segments. The segment
from Grand Ave. to Onondaga Lake, which corresponds to
the designated project area, is listed as "precluded"
for fishing due to excessive nutrients. The source of
this impairment is listed as CSOs. The segment from
Terry Road to Fern Road, upstream of the project site,
is listed as "stressed" for fish propagation and
survival due to excessive siltation caused by
development. The Seneca-Oswego-Oneida Basin has
recently been sampled as part of NYSDEC Rotating Basin
Surveys and an update of the PWL based on these
results is anticipated.
Harbor Brook was included on the State's 1998 303(d)
list of impaired water bodies. Harbor Brook and the
other CSO-affected tributaries to Onondaga Lake (Ley
Creek and Onondaga Creek) were delisted from the
NYSDEC 2002 303(d) list based on their inclusion in
the overall Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) allocation
for the Onondaga Lake watershed.
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Figure 1-2. Mean annual concentration of fecal coliform bacteria in Harbor Brook, upstream and downstream of CSOs.
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As part of Onondaga County's Ambient Monitoring
Program (AMP), trained technicians from the Department
of Water Environment Protection (DWEP) collect water
samples in Harbor Brook, both upstream and downstream
of the area affected by CSOs. Samples are routinely
collected on a bi-weekly basis, supplemented by high
flow and storm event sampling. These data document the
adverse impacts of CSOs on water quality in Harbor
Brook (Figure 1-2) and are discussed further in
Section 2.1.7.1.
The Harbor Brook CSO Facilities Plan is published as a
separate document; this EID is a companion document to
the Facilities Plan.
Click here for the Harbor Brook CSO Abatement Project Facility Plan (Aug 2005).
Proposed implementation schedule for the Harbor Brook project is included as Table 1-2.
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Commence Construction of FCFs/PS upgrades
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March 2007
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Complete Construction of FCFs/PS upgrades
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December 2008
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Commence Construction of Conveyances
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October 2007
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Commence Construction of RTFs
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March 2009
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Complete Construction of Conveyances
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December 2009
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Complete Construction of RTFs
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September 2011
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Click for listing of permits and approvals.
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1. Proposed action
Susan Miller, Project Deputy Director
Onondaga County Dept of Water Environment Protection