Midland overflow abatement project

1969   Ownership of Midland Avenue and Elmhurst combined trunk sewers transferred from the City of Syracuse to Onondaga County.
 

1978   Tallman Street and Bellevue Avenue trunk sewers transferred from City to County.
 

Mid-1980s   Onondaga County undertook a series of best management practices to improve the combined trunk sewer system and significantly reduced the incidence and volume of combined sewer overflows. Through the County's efforts, a number of CSOs were closed, and the volume of sewer overflows released to Onondaga Creek and Onondaga Lake was reduced by 90%.
 

1991   Onondaga County began plans to address and abate remaining CSOs with a 1991 facilities plan.
 

1996   Proposed municipal compliance plan (MCP) specified a CSO abatement project at the Blaine-Oxford streets site.
 

1998   The Amended Consent Judgment signed by the County, State, and Atlantic States Legal Foundation includes a regional treatment facility with vortex separation at the Blaine-Oxford streets site for the Midland sewer area. Design and construction of the project had required milestone dates for the County to meet.
 

1998-2000   As part of the planning and environmental review for the Midland project, Onondaga County re-evaluated potential locations for the Midland facilities and the technologies to be employed.
 

2000   Phase I: A 900-ft conveyance pipeline was installed to bring the Tallman Street CSO to the RTF site.
 

Fall 2000   Construction documents for the Midland RTF and related Phase II conveyances submitted to NYSDEC
 

Fall 2001   City of Syracuse Common Council voted to refuse to sell necessary City-owned and -controlled land to the County for the project.
 

Nov 2001-Aug 2002   Onondaga County, independently and in cooperation with a mediation efforts of NYSDEC, identified and evaluated further alternatives to the proposed RTF.
 

Aug 2002   Onondaga County adopted a modified project plan reducing the number of vortex units from four to two and added 2.5 million gallons of underground storage—thus increasing the amount of CSO captured and reducing the amount to be processed through the RTF and discharged to Onondaga Creek after treatment.
 

Oct 2002   Onondaga County sponsors workshop on disinfection of wastewater with chlorine to demonstrate the effectiveness and benefits of this technology. Speakers included USEPA, NYSDEC, and Syracuse Research Corp.
 

Nov 2002   U.S. District Court rules that Onondaga County may condemn property owned by the City that is needed for the Midland project.
Engineers begin preliminary design for the County's preferred option.
 

Jan-Feb 2003   Revised and updated facilities plan submitted to NYSDEC for the Midland Avenue RTF and conveyances project.
Onondaga County Legislature authorized acquisition of property for construction, operation, and maintenance of Phase II Midland Avenue RTF and conveyances.
 

Mar 2003   Onondaga the County further modified its plan by locating most of the RTF and the underground disinfection tank on CENTRO property adjacent to the bus garage.
 

May-Jun 2003   Federal district court judge supports Onondaga County's right to use eminent domain with just compensation to acquire a City-owned property. City files appeal. County proceeds to purchase needed private properties and assists property owners in finding new homes and provides compensation for moving.
 

Jun 2003   Amended facility plan and revised engineering design report forwarded to NYSDEC for review.
 

Nov 2003   NYSDEC approves updated facilities plan and engineering design report.
 

Feb 2004   Contract for building demolition put out for bid.
Bids advertised for construction of Phase II Midland RTF and conveyances.
 

May 2004   Demolition contract awarded. Site demolition begins.
 

Aug 2004   Notices-to-proceed issued to general contractor and electrical contractor.
Demolition of structures on the construction site completed. Under agreement with the Syracuse Housing Authority, public housing residents located in the Blaine-Oxford area are assisted in finding new apartments. Relocations are to be completed by November 15, 2004.
 

Sep 2004   Construction begins with site preparation work. Perimeter fencing is installed, office trailers arrive on site, and the former apartment building at 115 Oxford Street is demolished. In all, seven structures are demolished, including five houses, purchased from their owners, an abandoned garage, and one apartment building.
 

Oct 2004   Oxford Street bridge is demolished. Work begins to relocate utility lines before relocating Main Interceptor Sewer which crosses the construction site.
 
County officials meet with area residents at a meeting of SUN-Tallman Action Council. Questions are asked and responded to regarding construction and the proposed schedule of construction activities.
 
Test wells are installed for dewatering.

Mar 2005   One segment of MIS on the Midland construction site replaced. Excavation begins for disinfection tank.
 

Jun 2005   Completed replacement of the 48-inch brick-and-concrete MIS segment across the Midland construction site with 54-inch high-density polyethylene plastic pipe.
 

Jun 2006   Conveyance line to Bellevue Regulator crosses Onondaga Creek.
 

Aug 2006   Onondaga County Legislature authorizes issuance of an additional $49,890,420 in bonds to pay increased cost of improvements for Midland facility. The Legislature also authorizes $218,100 for acquisition of real property for the construction, operation, and maintenance of the Midland project.

Sep 2006   Bellevue Avenue conveyance creek crossing is complete.
 

Jan 2007   Final design documents on Midland Phase III completed and submitted to DEC for review and approval.
 

Apr 2007   Installation of the Phase II portion of the 144-inch pipe is completed. The length of the pipeline is 1200 feet in this section. Midland Phase III is advertised for bid.
 

Jul 2007   Midland Avenue reopens to traffic.
 

Aug 2007   Bids advertised for building demolition contract for Midland Phase III (and Harbor Brook RTF). Six structures will be demolished for Midland Phase III conveyance. (Contract is let in Dec 2007.)

Oct 2007   Concrete pours complete at 20,546 cubic yards.
 

Jan 2008   Construction completed on RTF

Jan 2009   Expected completion of construction of the Phase III pipeline.