ENB Region 7 Completed Applications 07/27/2005

The applicant has proposed the operation of a 110 ton per day transfer station at the recently constructed new City of Binghamton Public Works Facility on Broad Street.  The infrastructure for the new transfer facility is in place but has not been operational pending the City's application for a Solid Waste Permit from the Department.

If a permit issued for the Broad Street facility the City of Binghamton intends to terminate the use of their Brandywine facility.  An "Enhanced Public Participation Plan" has been prepared and is being conducted by the City.

The permit was modified in the following ways:

Permit pages -

1. Updated permit pages are used, based on current Department guidance, format and nomenclature.

2. Permit pages are renumbered and reordered.

3. Responsible Official Agent on first page updated.

4. Original pages 2 through 4 updated to new page 2.  This has updated the outlet overflows in the sytem.

5. New Page 3 includes new format and nomenclature for pemit.

6. Orignal permit pages 5 through 11 updated and consolidated into new permit pages 4 through 7.  Same requirements are maintained in permit

7. Original permit pages 14 through 16 have been replaced with permit pages 8 through 10 which include the current Department format and language for Pretreatment Program Implementation Requirements.

8. Original permit page 13 (Schedule of Complaince) has been eliminated since the requirements contained on this page have been met.

9. Original permit page 12 has been replace with permit pages 11 through 13 which replaces the CSO minimum requirements page with the current Department language for CSO Best Management Practices.

10. New page 14 has been added which includes language addressing Discharge Notification  Requirements.

11. New page 15 has been added which includes monitoring locations.

12. Original page 17 has been modified with new page 16 which contain proper addresses and information.

Combined sewers convey both sewage and stormwater. During dry weather the sewers discharge to the local wastewater treatment plant where the effluent is treated to remove pollutants before discharge to the receiving water. During rain events, when storm water enters the sewers, the capacity of the sewer system to convey the combined effluent to the treatment plant is often exceeded and the effluent will discharge directly to the receiving water.

    Since CSOs contain mixtures of domestic sewage, storm water runoff, and sometimes, industrial wastewater, they may contain high levels of suspended solids, toxic chemicals, floatable materials and other pollutants that can cause exceedances of water quality standards and use impairments. Such exceedances may pose risks to human and aquatic health and may impair the use and enjoyment of the Nation’s waterbodies.

    On April 19, 1994, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) responded to the CSO problem by officially noticing  the Combined Sewer Overflow Control Policy (Policy).  The purpose of the Policy was to expedite compliance with the requirements of the Clean Water Act by controlling CSO discharges to the Nation’s waters. Six years later, Congress enacted the Wet Weather Water Quality Act of 2000 requiring SPDES permits or orders for CSO communities/permittees to conform to the Policy.

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is authorized to issue NPDES permits in New York State pursuant to a 1975 Memorandum of Agreement with Region II EPA.  NYSDEC issues permits to discharge wastewater  under the State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (SPDES) program.   As part of this program, DEC issues SPDES discharge permits to CSO communities/permittees.There are 76communities with almost 1000 CSOs in New York.  New York is estimated to have about ten  percent of the total national problem of combined sewer overflows.  In consideration of the significant work needed to implement the Policy in New York State, EPA and NYSDEC agreed that DEC would  prioritize the implementation of the policy, starting with  CSO communities that had the greatest water quality impact. DEC has completed implementation of CSO requirements in permits and/or consent orders for those communities. DEC has recently entered into an agreement with EPA to expeditiously modify all remaining CSO SPDES permits in New York State in order to be in compliance with the Clean Water Act.

    The CSO requirements include implementing Nine Minimum Controls (NMC) and a Long-Term Control Plan (LTCP). The NMCs are inexpensive technology-based controls that can be used to control CSOs without performing extensive studies. DEC has developed 15 Best Management Practices (BMPs), which embody the NMCs and require the control of CSO discharges from combined sewer systems.  The applicable BMPs are to be included in all SPDES permits for combined sewer systems. DEC also developed a checklist as guidance for permittees in preparing their annual BMP reports.

    The LTCP consists of more extensive characterization and monitoring of both the combined sewer system and the receiving water, as well as selection and implementation of CSO control alternatives, with the intent of minimizing the impacts of CSOs on water quality. The Policy provides consideration for CSO permittees serving populations under 75,000 such that the scope of the Phase I LTCP may be streamlined on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the Department.    

    LTCP requirements are included in the SPDES permits where implementation of the BMPs alone will not result in compliance with the CWA. The LTCP requirement is broken into two phases. Phase I of the  LTCP is a comprehensive study of the combined sewer system and the effect of CSOs on the receiving water quality. Once it is determined whether water quality standards in the receiving water are impacted by CSO discharges, the permittee will, if necessary, research alternatives for mitigation of the impact of CSO discharges and choose one or more of those alternatives for implementation. The permittee will suggest a schedule of construction or implementation of those alternatives, i.e. Phase II of the LTCP, to DEC.

    Phase II of the LTCP is the construction and implementation of the alternatives chosen in the Phase I  LTCP. Once the control measures are in place, the permittee is required to perform post-construction monitoring to ensure that the goals of the LTCP and the appropriate water quality standards are met.

    The City of Auburn SPDES permit has been modified to include BMP numbers 3, 5, 7, 11, 12, 14, and 15.     

        BMP 3 addresses Industrial Pretreatment

        BMP 5 addresses Wet Weather Operation Plan

        BMP 7 addresses Control of Floatable and Settleable Solids

        BMP 11 addresses Septage and Hauled Waste

        BMP 12 addresses Control of Run-off

        BMP 14 addresses Characterization and Monitoring

        BMP 15 addresses Annual Reporting

    The City of Auburn has met the objectives of the Long Term Control Plan requirements and therefore there is no LTCP requirements necessary in the permit

2

The applicant proposes to place fill material over approximately 1.25 acres of state wetland CIC-1 and 0.25 acres of the regulated adjacent area for purposes of developing a lot for a single family home at 9541 Shepard Road.  The application is available for review in the Syracuse Office.

The applicant proposes to place fill material into 0.11 acre of state wetland FU-59 and 0.95 acre of regulated adjacent area for purposes of constructing a single family home on Lot 8 Aspen Cove Lane in Snug Harbor Estates.  The application is available for review in the Syracuse Office.