ENB Region 8 Completed Applications 06/30/2004

Under the supervision of the Chemung County soil and Water Conservation District, the Town of Ashland proposes to remove and shape a gravel bar that has accumulated in Bently Creek at its confluence with the Chemung River.  The project includes the removal of approximately 5500 cubic yards of material in addition to the creation of a low flow channel.The purpose of the project is to prevent the accumulated material from migrating from the creek into the river, and to reduce potential for flooding and erosion by re-establishing channel capacity of the creek.  

The Department has made a tentative determination to issue a modification to the SPDES permit to the Town of Farmington for an existing discharge of 2.1 million gallons per day (MGD) of treated sanitary wastewater to Mud Creek, a Class C water body, from a tertiary municipal treatment plant, to expand the facility to 4.0 MGD plant.  The facility plans to upgrade virtually all of the the plant components and install some new structures. The draft permit includes increased effluent limit loading rates for CBOD (5-day) and suspended solids.  The Total residual chlorine limit is proposed to be limited to disinfection periods only.   The Department seeks comments on the proposed regulated activity prior to making a final decision.  The file is available for review at NYSDEC Region 8.  

The Department has received a Mined Land Reclamation application from It’s Greener Now Inc for the expansion of the mine site known as the Padua Gravel Pit.  The applicant proposes a 5.05 acre expansion of  a 9.28 acre sand and gravel mine, to 14.33 acres, on the east side of NYS Route 409 in the Town of Dix, Schuyler County, on property totaling 281 acres.  The mine site property is bordered on the south by Watkins Glen State Park, and St. Mary’s Cemetery.

Operation of the mine will continue surface extraction of sand and gravel, but will add crushing and wet screening material processing operations on site.  Mining is not proposed for below the local water table.  Excavation will be by mechanical equipment, and will remove approximately 3 million cubic yards of sand and gravel over the estimated 12 year operational life of the mine.  The average truck traffic has been estimated by the applicant to be 11.5 round trips per hour, with a maximum of 20 trips per hour leaving the mine site.  Final reclamation to agricultural land is proposed. Reclamation will include the replacement of stockpiled topsoil and seeding with an approved mixture.

The 5.05 acre addition to the life of mine area includes 3.11 acres adjacent to the presently mined area, 1.81 acres in a separate area for stockpiles, a scale, and parking, and a 0.13 acre addition to the previously permitted life of mine area to correct a mapping discrepancy.

The application is available for review at the Region 8 NYSDEC office.  Copies have been sent to the Town of Dix and the Village of Watkins Glen.