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Installing sheeting at Midland RTF site in preparation for replacement of the brick main interceptor sewer (MIS)
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Monthly report—November 2004
Major facility now complete
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Construction and site preparation activities continued
this month on Phase II of the Midland Regional Storage
and Treatment Facility. This month's activities
included starting the installation of sheet piles and
installation of the temporary project office facility
trailer. Also the pre-existing conditions survey was
completed, and clearing and grubbing of the entire site
was conducted. Initial activities focus around the
need to relocate the main interceptor sewer (MIS) that runs
through the construction site.
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All major construction activity at the new
ammonia/phosphorus removal facilities was completed
during November, and preparations continued for
introduction of wastewater into the new phosphorous
removal facility (HRFS) before the end of the year.
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During the weekend of November 13, the
existing control room equipment was moved from the old
Plant Operations Building to the new Plant Operations
Center in the new ammonia-phosphorus removal
facilities. The County operations staff is fully moved
and running operations from the new control center.
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Construction was nearly completed on a sidewalk
for pedestrians along Hiawatha Boulevard in front of
the Metro plant site and the new ammonia-phosphorus
removal facilities. This was requested by the public
through the public participation process which was
conducted before the start of construction on the new
facilities. Asphalt paving, site sidewalks, brick
pavers, and landscaping were also substantially
completed during November on the project site.
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Work continued this month on the Tallman-Onondaga
sewer separation project. By the end of November,
installation of mainline sewer and laterals along
Onondaga Avenue was 100% complete, and binder course
had been placed on the road. Final road restoration is
slated for the spring. In addition, installation of the
mainline sewer and laterals on Midland Avenue and West
Taylor Street is 90% complete and the West Taylor
Street bridge was re-opened to traffic. This project is
designed to eliminate four existing combined sewer
overflows that currently discharge to Onondaga Creek.
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Nearly thirty thousand free leaf bags were distributed to libraries
and community centers around the city during November
for area residents to pick up and use to help keep
leaves out of the city streets and combined sewers.
Ads were placed to help educate the public on the
problems caused by the leaves, and six billboards were
obtained as well to highlight the program and
encourage residents to use the bags. The annual
program is funded by County funds and grant monies
from the U.S. Army Crops of Engineers through the
Onondaga Lake Partnership.
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The new ammonia-phosphorus removal facilities
were recognized by the Central New York Chapter of the
American Public Works Association as the environmental
project of the year 2004. The award was presented to
the County on November 19.
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New 54-inch plastic (HDPE) piping arrives at the Midland site and will replace a segment of the 48-inch brick MIS.
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(ACJ Completion date for Ammonia Full Scale—11/3/03—revision requested)
(ACJ Completion date for Phosphorus Removal Stage II—4/1/05—on schedule)
Construction
During November, the contractors completed all major
construction work on the project. Work included:
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Completion of minor revisions to the seal water
system in the HRFS facility and final application of
floor coating systems in the galleries
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Completion of pipe labeling, monorail beams, and
final floor coating application in the Chemical
Building
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All necessary work to meet local codes to obtain a
certificate of occupancy in the Plant Operations
Center.
Start-up of the HRFS—phosphorus removal system
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Krüger personnel completed their check of the
mechanical systems allowing all four flow trains to
accept BAF effluent. BAF effluent is now flowing
through the HRFS influent channel, through the trains,
and through the effluent channel.
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Initial deliveries of microsand, ferric chloride,
and polymer for use in the treatment system is
completed.
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Work is continuing on the configuration and
finalization of the control and instrumentation
systems.
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Completion of the 5-day training for plant staff
is underway.
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14-day equipment performance test to begin on
December 9.
Plant operations center.
All equipment and personnel have now been moved
from the old Plant Operations Building into the new
Plant Operations Center with a fully functional
control room. Move completed the weekend of November
13.
This is the largest and most costly single project
in the Amended Consent Judgment program
and will have the greatest positive effect on the water quality of Onondaga Lake
by removing more ammonia and phosphorus
from the Metro effluent discharge.
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Work in progress to separate sewers at Onondaga Avenue and Parkview Avenue: new sewer piping is staged along the street.
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(ACJ milestone date July 1, 2012 completion)
Construction is continuing on these four combined
sewer separation areas. On the Midland-Tallman area
(CSOs 038 and 040), installation of the new mainline
sewer and laterals is 90% complete on Midland Avenue and
West Taylor Street and the West Taylor Street bridge was
reopened to traffic this month. The contractor will
be placing the binder course on all of the roads
disturbed by construction this fall with final road
restoration (including milling and top course) planned
for the spring. In basin 040, work will be done in
the spring to install sewers on Tallman Street and
Lincoln Avenue.
In CSO basins 046A and 046B near and on Onondaga
Avenue, installation of the mainline sewer and
laterals along the entire stretch of Onondaga Avenue in
both basins is 100% complete. Cured-in-place work for
existing combined lines, which will be converted to
sanitary lines, will be completed in the spring as will
installation of mainline sewers and laterals on
Parkside Avenue. The binder course of asphalt has been
placed on Onondaga Avenue, and it is now reopened to
traffic. All final road restoration will also be done
in the spring.
This project is designed to eliminate CSOs 038 and
040 in the Tallman-Midland area and 046A and 046B
near Onondaga Avenue on the City's west side. C.O.
Falter was the successful bidder on the contract.
The total construction of the project is estimated to
cost $4.9 million with 70%-30% reimbursement from the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Under this project, new
sewers will be installed and in most areas, existing
combined sewers will be converted for use by stormwater only.
When finished, these four sewer overflow
discharge points (038, 040, 046A and 046B) will no
longer discharge a combination of untreated sewage and
stormwater to Onondaga Creek.
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In preparation for construction at the Midland site, the Onondaga Creek bank is seeded to prevent erosion.
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(ACJ completion date—Phase II RTF—5/01/04 & Phase III Conveyance—5/01/07 Milestone revisions requested)
In November, site preparation work continued for the
Midland Phase II project. Work focused relocation of
the Main Interceptor Sewer (MIS). Workers began
installing sheet piles to support the excavation
around the MIS. Once the sheeting is in place, the
area will be excavated, and the existing concrete and
brick MIS will be replaced with a new pipeline. A
temporary pipeline will be installed to bypass the MIS
during construction of the new pipeline.
Other construction-related activities included
installation of geotechnical monitoring equipment,
clearing and grubbing the site, relocation of utility
lines, site fencing and installation of the project
office facility trailer.
Meetings with the contractors have taken place
regarding schedules and sequence of work to be done.
Two dewatering wells have been installed, and
production rates will be tested shortly.
(ACJ dates—Commence construction of conveyances and RTF—May 1, 2003—Milestone revision requested)
Status:
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Facility plan distribution on hold pending outcome
of negotiations with City.
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Final draft environmental information document and
draft environmental information document prepared.
Release pending outcome of negotiations with City.
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No resolution with City reached to date.
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A meeting was held on November 22 with
the Armory Square Association Board of Directors to
discuss the status of the Clinton facility plan and
the environmental information document. County staff
and engineering consultants attended and presented the
County view.
The goal of the Clinton project is to address the
abatement of ten CSOs between Fayette and Adams
streets to be served by a Clinton Area Facility
located near downtown Syracuse. The facility plan
evaluates alternative technologies to address the
overflows and alternative sites for a
storage-treatment facility.
(ACJ completion date for In-Water system- 7/1/02—Not implementable—Milestone Revision requested )
This month, County staff and design consultants, Brown
& Caldwell, worked on the following items:
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Based on the information compiled to date, more
monitoring was conducted this month near the Velasko
Road area concerning CSO 078 to verify flow volume.
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Design engineers from Brown and Caldwell compiled
monitoring data received and drafted a revised
executive summary of the facility plan.
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Additional information received from archeological
consultant.
The Harbor Brook CSO Abatement Facilities Plan was released in March 2002. The draft plan
outlines and evaluates alternative technologies
including the in-water system for abating and treating
the eighteen CSOs that release to Harbor Brook. This
draft plan also identifies potential sites for CSO
abatement facilities.
Major milestones met for CSO interim projects.
The following is a summary of the projects completed
under Appendix B pages 10-12 of the Amended Consent
Judgment. Each of these ten CSO-related projects had
a major milestone completion date of July 1, 2002.
Some of these interim projects were completed well
ahead of the major milestone date, and all except two
met the major milestone date.
The projects are listed below by date
completed:
Sampling conducted this month included:
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Routine biweekly tributary sampling conducted
November 4, 16, and 30.
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Lake sampling was conducted on November 1, 4, 10, 17,
and 23. Sampling on the November 4 and 17 included North Deep
and South Deep.
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No river sampling conducted this month.
A minimum of five high-flow tributary sampling events
are required each year, and to-date, five events have
been sampled (3/3, 3/8, 5/25, 8/30, and 9/9).
Fisheries sampling activities conducted this month
included:
Started sorting macroinvertebrates from the
tributary samples collected in July 2004. Ten sites
were sampled with 40 total samples requiring sorting.
Other activities:
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Transmitted third quarter ambient monitoring report
to State DEC.
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Flow monitor sensors and meteorological equipment
installation at all stations for the new Onondaga Lake
Outlet Flow Monitoring Project. This project is a
joint venture project between the County and the USGS
with funding from the Onondaga Lake Partnership.
The new ammonia-phosphorus removal project was cited
as the Environmental Project of the Year 2004 by the
Central New York Branch of the American Public Works
Association. The award was presented to the County at
the APWA Chapter meeting held on November 19 at the
Rusty Rail in Canastota.
The Central New York Branch of APWA represents the
counties, cities, towns, and villages in a
ten-county area of Central New York. Membership
consists of a wide range of public works leaders
including elected officials; municipal employees;
consulting engineers; suppliers of public work
materials, equipment, and services; and other
individuals committed to excellence in the public
works field.
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To promote education for the Leaf Bag Program, billboards were placed throughout the City during November. This sign is on South Avenue.
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For the third consecutive year, the County distributed
free leaf bags to City residents. The program is part
of the Urban Best Management Practices Project which
is funded by County funds and grant monies from the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers through the Onondaga Lake
Partnership.
The purpose of the program is to help keep leaves out
of the city streets and combined sewers. If large
volumes of leaves enter the sewer system, they can lead
to more frequent discharges from the combined sewer
overflow points and can disrupt treatment and
floatable control processes.
County WEP staff distribute the free leaf bags
throughout the city to neighborhood branch libraries
and community centers. Nearly thirty thousand bags were made
available this year through the program. All the
distribution outlets reported a steady and busy flow
of residents asking for bags. The County handled
refilling supplies at all locations.
In this cooperative effort with the City, City DPW
picks up the leaves and bags and recycles them
into mulch at the City's composting and mulching
operation off Midler Avenue. The mulch is then made
available to city residents free of charge for the
lawns and gardens.
This year's program was kicked off with a press
conference involving the County Executive and the
Mayor at the Betts Branch Library in Syracuse. Media
coverage was received. The program was advertised this
month in local newspapers to promote use of the bags.
Six billboards were also obtained and
graphics developed to promote the program. County
Metro staff reported a reduced number of bypasses at
Metro due to clogging by excessive leaves this fall.
The new trash skimmer boat operated into November and
concluded operations this month for the 2004
recreational season. The skimming operation will
resume again in the spring under the existing contract
with Alpha Boats of Weedsport, NY who was the
successful bidder on the new 5-year contract with the
County to collect floatable debris in the
Inner Harbor at the mouth of Onondaga Creek. The year 2004
was the first year under the 5-year contract.
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After collection, Syracuse DPW composts the leaf bags and leaves for later use in landscaping.
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None to report.
None to report.
Full-scale ammonia/phosphorus removal
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Contract with Burns Brothers Inc. amended for
various modifications including relocation of cold
water line, installation of roof drain and piping, and
relocation of steam and condensate lines.
Contract amendment amount: $24,376.18. Executed
11/5/04.
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Contract with Edward Joy Company amended for various
modifications including additional underground conduit
and pull boxes, installation of fire dampers and
backdraft fire dampers, and installation of hardwired
interface of HVAC system to boilers.
Contract amendment amount: $55,749.10. Executed
11/30/04.
Action items of the County Legislature in November
No items.
Upcoming for December legislative session
No items.
Upcoming for December committee:
No items.
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Partially removing the Centro storage barn to permit installation of sheeting at Midland RTF site
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State Bond Act funds
Payments received this month from State Bond
Act funds: None to report.
Total received to date in State Bond Act funds:
$70,402,415.
Federal EPA funds
Payments received this month from Federal EPA
funds:
None to report
Total received to date in Federal EPA funds:
$49,218,599.
Federal Army Corps of Engineers funds:
None to report
Total received to date from U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers funds: $5,969,687.
The following reimbursement payments were
received from EFC during November:
Midland Avenue Phase II Conveyances & RTF: Request #2 in
the amount of $532,772.77 received 11/21/04 for total
received of $1,271,141.58.
Total reimbursement monies received to date through
EFC Loans for the funded ACJ projects: $145,340,339
(short term), $9,216,380 (long term).
 Chronology of project construction starts
Contractors for construction projects
Lake Improvement Project Office
Grants and loans applied for—not yet approved
Grants received
Financial status report
—Photos by Joe Lorah and Bob Bellandi
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Susan Miller, Project Deputy Director
Onondaga County Dept of Water Environment Protection