This just in from the CWC: Boiceville's wastewater treatment plant project, a feat of engineering two years in the making, is finished. The plant went online last summer, and on January 7, the last hookup pipe connecting the new plant to a Boiceville home was laid.
MARGARETVILLE, NY, January 12, 2011 – The hamlet of Boiceville – 126 properties including many businesses and Onteora Central School -- is the latest community in the Catskills to benefit from a new wastewater treatment system, courtesy of the Catskill Watershed Corporation (CWC).
The project was accomplished with a $12.2 million block grant from the CWC’s Community Wastewater Management Program (CWMP) to the Town of Olive which will own and manage the system going forward. While some site restoration work remains to be done this spring, the project was essentially completed January 7 when the last of the sanitary lateral pipes was connected to a home on DeSilva Road.
“There has been a smooth transition from private systems to the wastewater treatment plant. The commercial property owners seem satisfied now that their businesses can expand and grow,” said Olive Town Supervisor Berndt Leifeld. “The Town of Olive owes the CWC a tremendous thank you along with the New York City DEP and all the contractors that cooperated to complete this project. I truly believe this will have a great impact on the revitalization of our community for years to come. “
The system was designed by Lamont Engineers, the firm that coordinates the CWMP program for the CWC. Approved by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, the system includes a state-of-the-art wastewater treatment plant that can handle up to 75,000 gallons of flow per day, and 18,000 feet of large diameter gravity sewer mains.
Evergreen Mountain Contracting of West Kill, Greene County, constructed the wastewater treatment plant on a four-acre site adjacent to the Esopus Creek. At the plant, wastewater is run through numerous treatment trains, including sand filtration, microfiltration and ultraviolet disinfection, before it is discharged, at near drinking-water quality, to the creek, which feeds the City’s Ashokan Reservoir.
Brunswick Electric of Troy and S&O Construction Services of Pleasant Valley installed electrical, plumbing and heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems at the treatment plant, which is currently handling 25,000 gallons of flow per day.The plant is managed for the Town of Olive by LVDV Operations.
The on-site septic systems that had served individual properties, including the school, have been pumped out and filled in.
F. P. Kane Construction of Endicott installed the sanitary collection system, which included three subterranean pipe crossings of busy NYS Route 28.
CWC’s Stormwater Retrofit Program also paid for stormwater controls installed throughout the hamlet simultaneously with the wastewater project. The project featured catch basins, culverts and a swale containing wetland plantings at the intersection of NYS Routes 28 and 28A. A specialized unit was installed at Lukoil that treats suspended solids and hydrocarbons at the gas station/carwash.
The wastewater and stormwater projects in Boiceville employed an estimated 35 people. Many contractor representatives and workers stayed at area motels and patronized local businesses during the two-year construction period.
“This system is a good example of how the CWC is meeting our two primary missions – water protection and community preservation,” commented CWC Executive Director Alan Rosa. “This project assures the cleanliness of the Esopus Creek. Its construction supported local businesses during an economic slowdown. It will also help to attract home buyers and businesses, since Boiceville now has a reliable, high capacity treatment plant and there are no worries about on-site septic systems failing.”
During the project, engineering and construction teams utilized the former Trail Nursery on the WWTP site as an office. With the project completed, the Town is now seeking a buyer for the building and one-acre of land. Interested parties are urged to contact Heather Martin and Associates Realty. (845) 657-4240.
The CWC is a non-profit Local Development Corporation based in Margaretville. It is committed to protecting water resources, encouraging environmentally friendly economic development and supporting watershed education in the New York City Watershed West of the Hudson River, a region encompassing parts of five counties – Delaware, Greene, Schoharie, Sullivan and Ulster.
To learn more about other CWC programs to assist residents and businesses in the New York City Watershed West of the Hudson River, visit www.cwconline.org.
