August 13, 2009

Village, DEC working together

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Mayor Francis “Fra” Putorti says the village is comfortable with its current relationship with the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

Recently, the village signed a new Consent Order with the DEC concerning the work that still needs to be done to improve and upgrade the village’s wastewater system.

“It has been much better,” said Putorti about the relationship between the village and the DEC. “They are working with us and they have changed certain levels that there would have been no way that we could have met under the old Consent Order, and we have done our best to make sure that if there is anything that they want, we try to get it to them as soon as we can.”

Putorti said while the DEC and village were working to produce a new Consent Order, there was a lawsuit involved, but it was settled by the signing of the new version.

“The new order was part of the lawsuit,” said Putorti. “Since we signed the new order, that settled it. We were literally in a position where we were sued and settled all on the same day.”

Putorti said the village is working with EDP Associates to set a timeline that meets the goals of the Consent Order.

“We had to get a report to them by the first of August on how we were going to hit all of the marks in the Consent Order,” said Putorti. “Travis Mitchell with EDP did the report for us, and as of now I do not know what the next step is. We are waiting to hear back from the DEC.”

Mitchell said the Aug. 1 report is currently under review by the DEC, and EDP is currently working on a comprehensive report that will be due by the end of the year.

“We will need to present a comprehensive evaluation and recommendations for eliminating inflow and infiltration to the wastewater system,” said Mitchell. “The report will include the television inspection of all of the mains and the smoke testing which has been on going in the village. There are a number of different studies that are going on right now that our office is coordinating.”

Putorti said while the village awaits word from the DEC pertaining to what it must do next, the village is preparing.

“We are mapping the sewer manholes and getting ready to do whatever is next,” said Putorti. “We’re ready to go, but right now we’re in the same place.”

Putorti said the main goal of the village with the new Consent Order is to ensure it does the necessary work by the time it needs to be done.

“We have to make sure that we meet those requirements,” said Putorti.