ENB Region 7 Completed Applications 08/17/2005

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 these permits to discharge wastewater under the State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (SPDES).   As part of this program, DEC issues SPDES discharge permits to Publicly Owned Treatment Works and municipally owned Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs).

On April 19, 1994,  the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published the CSO Control Policy (Policy) in the Federal Register. The purpose of the policy is to expedite compliance with the requirements of the Clean Water Act by controlling CSO discharges to the Nation’s waters.  The Policy requires the States to develop site-specific National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit requirements for all combined sewer systems that overflow as a result of wet weather events. The Federal Register notice asserts that:

Under the SPDES program authorization,  NYSDEC is responsible for issuing discharge permits  that are consistent with the EPA CSO Policy  for both  POTWs with CSOs and municipally owned CSO facilities.

On November 6, 2000, the permittee was notified that DEC intended to modify their permit under the Environmental Benefit Permit Strategy (EBPS).

On March 14, 2005, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) staff performed an inspection of the facility’s Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) program. EPA concluded that the existing CSO requirements in the SPDES permit do not meet the objectives of the National CSO Control Policy.  EPA recommended an assessment of the existing CSO point to determine the need for a CSO Long Term Control Plan (LTCP).

This permit is being modified in accordance with: 1) Article 17, Title 8 and Article 70 of the Environmental Conservation Law, and 6 NYCRR Parts 621 and 757; 2)  National CSO Control Policy.  This permit also recognizes the previous and the ongoing CSO control efforts required by the consent order (Case # R7-20050412-23).  Therefore, compliance dates shall be governed by the dates in the consent order.

The Department has made a tentative determination to modify an existing permit for the monthly avergage discharge of 1.73MGD municipal wastewater from the Canastota Village Water Pollution Control Plant to Class C Cowaselon Creek.  Modifications to the permit include administrative updates, as well as substantive changes including elimination of outfalls, a reduction in monitoring frequency, addition of effulent limits and a compliance schedule with Special Monitoring Requirments.  The treatment plant is located off North Main Street in the Village of Canastota.  A draft permit is available for review.

Updated permit pages were used.  Page 1 includes new names, addresses, and phone numbers. Page 3 includes permit limit and monitoring definitions.

Reference to the General Conditions has been replaced with 6NYCRR Part 750 throughout the permit.

Page 2 of the existing permit has been revised to reflect the elimination of Outfalls 002A, 002B, 004, 005, 006, 007, 008, and 009.

Pages 4 and 5 are new effluent limits pages reflecting the reduction of the monitoring frequency for ph, temperature and settleable solids from 2/day to 1/day on weekends and holidays. This was approved since the monitoring data showed little change for these parameters during the course of a day. An effluent limit for Selenium was also included.

Page 6 of the existing permit is a new page and contains a Compliance Schedule with Special Monitoring Requirements. This page requires a short-term high- intensity monitoring program for copper, cadmium, and methylene chloride, based on the presence of an industrial contributor that produces copper wire, and previous sampling results.

The Minimum Requirements for SPDES Permits with CSOs page has been replaced with the Best Management Practices for CSOs pages, and reflects the maximum hydraulic flows the treatment units must take prior to discharging via the CSO Outfall 002. Streamlined CSO LTCP requirements were added.

The mini pretreatment program has been updated and requires annual submissions.

The industrial compliance schedule has been deleted.

A new Discharge Notification Act page has been included.  

The Monitoring and Reporting page has been updated and includes the Madison County Health Dept. as being a recipient of DMRs.

The applicant proposes to reinstate 113 acres of land (which had not been placed on the Life of Mine map) for consolidated limestone mining, bringing the total acreage of the Life of Mine to 1174.  Two lifts had been previously mined off the top of this acreage.  It is located wholly within the currently permitted Hanson Aggregates New York, Inc. - Jamesville Quarry, DeWitt (T), Onondaga County.  It will be reclaimed so as to blend with the currently approved Reclamation Plan.

The NYSDEC Region 7 Headquarters proposes to stabilize a section of the Salmon River upstream of the County Route 52 bridge in the Village of Altmar.  The installation of 200 linear feet of rock across the north channel with 4 rock veins will maintain river flow through the south channel during critical spawning periods.  Two additional rock veins would be installed along the south channel to stabilize the bed of the river.  The application is available for review in the Syracuse and Cortland offices.    

Applicant proposes to reposition 40' of existing riprap and excavate a 300' gravel bar and use as stabilization on 92' of eroded bank in the West Branch of Owego Creek.  Project is located at 3394 West Creek Road, Town of Candor, Tioga County.