Sewer separation: Tallman & Onondaga Avenue areas

Having completed separating the sewers, workers clean a catchbasin on Parkside Avenue (July 2005)

Quick reference
— Separating the sewers
— Additional improvements
— Questions and answers

Onondaga County has many projects underway to improve the water quality of Onondaga Creek and Onondaga Lake. One way to improve Onondaga Creek is to eliminate combined sewer overflows through sewer separation. The Tallman-Onondaga Avenue sewer separation project was completed in the summer of 2005.

Photos:
August 2005
July 2005

June 2005
May 2005

This project eliminated four CSOs in the Tallman-Midland area and near Onondaga Avenue. C.O Falter was the successful bidder on the contract. The total construction was estimated to cost $4.9 million. This cost was split between Onondaga County and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (70% Corps reimbursement).

These four sewer overflow areas will no longer discharge a combination of untreated sewage to Onondaga Creek.

See a map showing the areas where sewers were separated.

Where were the sewers separated?
-Midland between West Onondaga Street and Tallman
-Tallman between South Avenue and Onondaga Creek
-Lincoln between Midland and Tallman
-Onondaga Avenue between South Avenue and Cheney Street
-Parkview, Eloise Terrace, and Parkside Avenue

Separating the sewers

Onondaga County installed 6900 feet of new sewer. These are new sanitary sewers for the most part. As the new sanitary sewers were put in, combined sewers already in the street were converted so that they carry only the runoff from the street (storm water). This way, all the sanitary sewage will be treated at the Metropolitan Syracuse Wastewater Treatment Plant. None of the sanitary sewage will flow into the Creek—as it has in the past during overflow events.

Additional improvements

Along with new sewers in the streets, Onondaga County:

Replaced sewer laterals from the street to the curb line
Made spot repairs to the existing combined sewer—as needed
Replaced active lead or galvanized iron water lines from the water main to the curb stop—as encountered.

National Grid replaced the gas main in some portions of the work areas.

Questions and answers

In 2004, Onondaga County officials held a question-and-answer meeting at the Southwest Community Center where residents of the Tallman and Onondaga Avenue neighborhoods were invited to talk one-on-one with representatives from Onondaga County, the Syracuse Water Department, Syracuse Department of Public Works, National Grid, and the contractor.

Call John Clare, Senior Project Manager, at 435-2260 x371 for additional information.