The Orange County Legislature on Feb. 1 unanimously approved for public hearing a draft upgrade proposal for its only sewer district, one of the final steps in the decade-long plan work.
“For well over 12 years, this resolution has been a work-in-progress,” Orange County Sewer District No. 1 Advisory Committee Chair Peter Tuohy said shortly before the vote.
“Advisory board members met continuously even during the pandemic, and through their efforts and due diligence in the past four years, this draft environmental impact study is ready for public review.”
The sewer district touches upon nine municipalities in the southern part of the county, including the Village of Kiryas Joel, the Village of Blooming Grove, and the Town of Monroe.
Delaware Engineering was contracted for the design phase work.
The main goals of the redesign work are to replace aging infrastructure and to meet the changing state of sewer discharge standards and the demand of ever-growing populations.
According to the draft environmental impact study, or DEIS, the most preferred solution is to expand the sewer system by half and put in place infrastructure allowing for a future double expansion, all while seeking variances from two state wastewater standards.
Variances to be sought are for levels of total dissolved solids and chloride in discharges.
Requests for such variances can be justified by the natural background, human-caused concentrations unrelated to wastewater, and excessive financial, social, and environmental costs of compliance, according to the DEIS set for public review.
A host of potential negative environmental impacts for the proposed sewer expansion project are identified, along with mitigation measures.
For example, soil erosion will be controlled with a quality stormwater pollution prevention plan, odors amid construction will be abated through enclosed structures and air handling, and flooding risks will be mitigated by placing new structures on elevated plains.
The sewer expansion project will be financed by county bonds, which are to be repaid by district users.
County Legislature Chairwoman Katherine Bonelli, a Blooming Grove Republican who first ran for a county lawmaker seat on the sewer issue 12 years ago, commended the work of the sewer district advisory committee and physical services legislative committee at the Feb. 1 meeting.
“I dealt with these issues back in the ‘90s, and this has always been a priority of mine,” she said.
“Through the leadership of Peter Tuohy and the other individuals who represent the southern part of Orange County as well as our chairman of physical services, Barry Cheney, that is what brought us to this day, along with our consultants and our entire county team.
“I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
The public hearing is set for 7 p.m. on March 25 at the legislative chambers of the Orange County Government Center in Goshen.
