ENB Region 7 Completed Applications 04/19/2006

  The applicant proposes a sand and gravel mining operation on 61 of the 179 acre site. The actual mined area will encompass 36 acres, while the remaining 25 acres will be used for processing and stockpiling the excavated sand and gravel.  A vegetated topsoil storage berm measuring 10 feet high and 40 feet wide at the base will be constructed around the perimeter of the affected area to serve as a visual, noise and stormwater barrier.  The minimum setback from the Tioughnioga River to areas of disturbance will be 200 feet. Excavation of sand and gravel is not expected to occur within at least 350 feet of the river.  Setbacks from the unnamed tributary to the north will be at least 50 feet.  The project area is located within the 100-yr floodplain of the Tioughnioga River.  The applicant has indicated that the mean water level of the river is 932 feet above mean sea level (amsl) where it parallels the site, and the mean water table elevation within the mining area is between 935 and 937 feet amsl.  The sand and gravel will be mined from below the water table by using a dragline system, and the excavated material will be temporarily stockpiled on the pond bank for dewatering and subsequent haul to the processing plant.  Topsoil will be stripped in advance of mining.  The depth of excavation will vary depending on the depth of reserves but will have a maximum average depth of approximately 40 feet with an expected pond bottom elevation of approximately 890 feet amsl.  Mining is not expected to last more than 10 years based upon the estimated quantity of reserves.  

  To mitigate for proposed Corps jurisdictional freshwater wetland impacts, Barrett Paving has proposed to construct 2.0 acres of wetland on site to the north of the impacted area, adjacent to the existing stream.  Construction of the mitigation area will be concurrent with impacts to the existing wetland.  Once the mining operation has ceased, the mitigation area will be connected to the excavated pond by removal of the berm.

  As part of the reclamation plan, the 36-acre excavated pond will be graded to contain a variety of water depths, of which the shallow areas will be planted with emergent wetland species.  All areas to be reclaimed will be covered with at least six inches of topsoil.  The applicant has indicated that the remaining 25 acres of land will be regraded with topsoil to return it to its original use as farmland or used as a nature preserve.

NYLPG currently operates a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) storage facility in Harford, Cortland County.  The underground storage component of the facility is comprised of wells located in salt caverns approximately 3,000' underground.

NYLPG stores LPG in the underground caverns by pumping it into the wells which in turn displaces brine out of the caverns and wells into a lined brine pond.  The process is reversed when there is a demand for the stored gas.  Because precipitation exceeds evaporation at the project site, fluid must be removed from the pond to prevent it from overflowing its walls.  The skimmed fluid is discharged into the Owego Creek under a SPDES permit.  Routine operation of the storage facility, including well maintenance, has the associated effect of washing the salt caverns and causing cavern growth at an annual rate of  less than 3% by volume.  While not overly significant in any given year, the cumulative effect over many years of the operation on individual cavern growth at NYLPG is sizable.  For example, each of NYLPG’s caverns is projected to grow in size solely from routine operations by approximately 67% from 2006 through 2024.  Despite this long-term projected growth in cavern size, no detrimental public safety or environmental effects such as cavern failure, catastrophic subsidence or LPG leakage from the caverns are anticipated.  

NYLPG has requested an Underground Storage Modification Permit for the modification and operation of a LPG Storage facility utilizing underground storage caverns in the Salina formation (3,000' depth).  The plans include modification of two existing storage caverns by routine operation of the storage facility.  Well No. 1, storage capacity of 382,000 barrels (16.0 million gallons) is projected to  increase in volume to 654,000 barrels (27.5 million gallons) over an 18 year period. Well No. 3, 250,000 barrels (10.5 million gallons) is projected to increase in volume to 406,000 barrels (17.1 million gallons), also over a projected 18-year period.  One barrel equals 42 U.S. gallons.  In addition, the Department is proposing to modify the State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (SPDES) permit for this facility in accordance with New York State’s Environmental Benefit Permit Strategy (EBPS).  Updated permit pages are proposed based on current Department guidance, format and nomenclature.  Permit pages are renumbered and reordered.  Temperature, TSS, chlorides and Best Management Practices  (BMP) have been added to the permit.

Draft permits have been prepared and are available for review.  The Department has made a tentative determination to issue the permits referenced above.  As a tentative determination, the Department seeks comments on the proposed regulated activity prior to making a final decision on permit issuance.  

Refer to this application by the application number listed above.

Applicant proposes to apply the herbicide Rodeo to .22 acres of phragmites in regulated freshwater wetland TU-14 (Class 1).  The application will involve the injection of Rodeo to individual cut stems of phragmites.  The project is located in Labrador Hollow Unique Area, southwest of the intersection of Labrador Cross Road and NYS Route 91 in the Town of Fabius, Onondaga County.