The city is about to spend nearly $50 million to help alleviate flooding on Staten Island's South Shore by using its unique access to natural wetlands. NY1's Anthony Pascale filed the following report.

Even the threat of rain is enough to get Woodrow resident Michael Iacono concerned.

"If you come here tomorrow after we get a big storm, this whole area is underwater," Iacono pointed out.

He says flooding in the neighborhood has long been a problem.

"The yards and everything get flooded because the drainage is poor, they overdeveloped the area so without sewers it's kind of rough," Iacono said.

But Iacono says he's happy to know relief is on the way. The city announced a plan Monday to add catch basins and storm sewers to several Woodrow streets and allow 600 homeowners to get rid of their septic tanks and connect to the city's sewer system.

"Ah, that's good. I've been here 35 years and when I moved in here I built this house, they told me I'd be in the sewer two years from then," Leroy Metzger, a Woodrow homeowner.

The $48 million project would expand the Staten Island Bluebelt, a complex system that uses nature to drain stormwater. Sewers carry the water to wetlands, which naturally filter it and eventually discharge it into area waterways.

"Well these were really pioneered on Staten Island and it has to do with the grade and the fact that there's still some greenspace left because it's not as densely developed as other parts of the city so it's a really natural place to use this kind of drainage," said DEP Commissioner Emily Lloyd.

Bluebelts are not new on Staten Island. There are actually 60 of them already on the South Shore alone. This latest one will be the largest until later this year when another is constructed to help mid-Island residents.

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South Shore Homes Will Soon Join Bluebelt Drainage Loop

For homes that aren't connected to a municipal sewer plant, a septic is an on-site system that collects, treats and disposes of household wastewater by slowly filtering it through underground soil. Typically there are two main parts, a septic tank and a soil absorption system (also called a drainfield, leachfield or disposal field). These are located underground and connected to the house by sewage pipes.Typical costs: Installing/replacing a conventional septic system[1] (including the tank) averages $2,000-$5,000 in the Midwest, but can be $4,000-$12,000 or more in areas where materials and labor rates are higher. Enhanced, engineered or alternative septic systems that use mounds[2] , sand/peat filters[3] , aerobic systems and/or constructed wetlands[4] can cost $10,000-$20,000 or more, according to the Rhode Island Regional Water Quality Program[5] . These alternative septic systems work better than the conventional approach for sites with high groundwater or slowly/rapidly percolating soil, or near drinking water supplies, wetlands, coastal ponds or other water resources. The cost of a septic tank alone runs about $500-$1,800 depending on size (ranging from 300-1,000 gallons) and type. Piping and other needed items adds another $100-$200 to the total cost of materials. New Mexico State University provides an introduction to installing a septic tank[6] . However, many regions require a septic system to be designed and installed by trained and licensed professionals; contact your local or state sanitation department for details. Related articles: Septic Tank Cleaning, Sewer Line Replacement, Replacing Copper Pipes What should be included: Septic systems are used when sewage treatment plants are not accessible, which usually means rural or suburban homes on large lots. The septic tanks itself is a large, underground, watertight container made of concrete, fiberglass or plastic (polyethylene). The North Carolina State University Ag Extension explains how septic systems work and where they can be used[7] . It can take several days to a week or more to install/replace a septic system. The process involves extensive digging, often with heavy earth-moving equipment. Additional costs: Most counties and states require a building permit for installing or replacing a septic system, at a cost of $250-$1,000 or more depending on the location and the complexity of the project. Check with your local building/planning department for details. Installing a septic system usually involves extensive digging and damage to the landscaping; replacement turf and other plantings can run $100-$1,000 or more. Discounts: In a cluster septic system, each house has its own underground septic tank but they all feed into one drainfield/leachfield/soil absorption system. Typically installed by developers, a cluster septic system splits the cost of the drainfield installation and maintenance among many houses. Shopping for a septic system: Check with your local sanitation department to see if they maintain a list of licensed septic installation contractors. Referrals to septic contractors[8] are available through the National Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association. Ask about training and experience. Check that the company is properly bonded, insured and licensed in your state[9] ; and see if there are any complaints with the Better Business Bureau[10] . CostHelper News What People Are Paying - Recent Comments Posted by: a user in Dalton, GA. Posted: September 18th, 2013 06:09PM Type: concrete

GA- for a 3bdrm house. By North Georgia Backhoe. Took about 6hrs

That was the cost for everything

Seems we had gasses that formed a hole, maybe 10 inch wide, 6-10 feet deep. They replaced the cement lid 61 by103 inches. 3 men, trucks and a backhoe. Also ne mortar around the outlet. Total cost $1,300. Too much? Took about 2 hours. I think they did a great job. We will see! Tank is 24 years old. The load lid,2 inch thick concrete, the new one is 3 inch.

Lambchops,,,I am in goldsboro also and may need a lift system. can you shoot me an email at rmaccuswellatyahoo.com have some questions for you

Got a perk, that was the good news. Had to put in expensive Hoot 600 for a 5 bedroom house. 1,500 gallon tank, Hoot 600 and field with mound because of the soil conditions. Lots of shale in area.

I just got out the Air Force and Sub Contracted my own home, I had to have a lift site for my septic tank, or put in the mound system, Well I couldn't see this hump of dirt in my yard so I chose the lift site which was a 1000ft away. I know that sounds a long way away but 2 inch pipe is really not that expensive bottom line I did a little research and got a few estimates which in 2000 was really high. there were 3 bids for over $6500.00 And one for $4800, but I did my landscaping and septic system for $4500. Not bad for a guy just using good ole common sense and you can too.

Engineering survey, ground feasability survey plus permits. We had a 1000 gallon septic tank, 750 gallon lift tank, 233 feet of trench line, 240 feet of leach pipe and a Hydromatic SW33M1 effluent pump installed. He also reseeded and landscaped the damages done by the excavating. My question is, "Did we spend too much?"

Extreme flooding forced new system after old leach system failed. Installed new 44.5 by 18.5, 12.5 deep, engineered designed mound system, added additional 1000 gallon tank with pump to mound system. Installed automatic tank alarm. Approx 12 trees were removed in process.

We had slow drainage. The company came out on a Thursday and tried to clear the clog. Afterwards, didn't hear the proper flow into the tank. Friday, brought camera and said pipes were old and damaged by roots, etc. Brought in small backhoe. Dug up pipe to tank, jackhammered a 12 foot section of our bedroom leading to bathroom, replaced pipe for use. (Sat. and Sun. off) Monday, came to fill trench with some gravel and filled dirt back into trench. Put some gravel in small section in our bedroom, poured concrete at connecting point. My husband poured the finishing concrete in our bedroom. This seems excessive in price to me. They said our drain field may need some attention (leading from tank, but that's not their job).

More:
Cost of a Septic System - Estimates and Prices Paid

NORTHUMBERLAND Point Township Sewer Authority board members Thursday awarded a $5.9 million general construction contract to low-bidder Doli Construction Corp., of Chalfont, for the Lithia Springs sewer extension project.

The approval is contingent on closing a $3.7 million loan with the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority, known as Pennvest. In all, seven companies submitted bids for the construction contract.

The board awarded the electrical contract for the project to low-bidder K&N Electric, of Sunbury. K&Ns bid was $261,898. Three other companies bid on that contract.

The project overall is expected to cost $7.4 million, said David Brinjac, the authoritys engineer.

Before the votes, board members asked about the Doli company and its reliability. Brinjac said the company has completed similar projects, but needs to be closely monitored. He said he would do that once the project begins.

The authority has secured a $3.7 million grant for the project, the same amount as the $3.7 million loan from Pennvest. Together, Brinjac said, they will cover the cost of construction and other ancillary costs, such as legal fees and engineering fees.

The early part of Thursday nights meeting involved the signing of documents that have to be submitted to Pennvest as soon as possible.

The project involves construction of sewer lines and two pump stations and will bring about 122 homes in the Lithia Springs, Ridge Road and Bulk Road areas of Point Township into compliance with environmental standards.

Construction is scheduled to begin in May and be completed in about a year.

The homes that will be served by the new sewer lines are connected to septic tanks. The project will install a public system main line, with lateral lines connecting to the 122 homes.

Link:
$5.9M construction contract awarded for Point Twp. sewer project

Twenty thousand dollars is a lot of money to flush a toilet. But thats what it can cost every home in a small town to install a community sewage system. And the price can rise to $25,000, maybe even $30,000 per home if other work needs to be done.

Alexanders town council is making a public protest against government rules that are pushing tiny towns into spending millions of dollars on sewer systems. Last week the council reviewed two proposed city ordinances in hopes of fighting back against big government and agencies like the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

Alexander city councilman Tom Schear proposed two laws: Unaffordable, Unsustainable Capital Improvement Projects and Freedom From Unwarranted Financial Obligations.

Small communities all across the state -- Alexander, Goodell, Rowan and dozens of others -- are being told the residents need to spend tens of thousands of dollars per home to replace septic tanks with a community sewage treatment system.

This sewer business is gonna kill small communities, said Councilman Shear, author of the two proposed city ordinances. Its going to cost Alexander at least $1.5 million for 150 people ($10,000 per person). There are 80 utility customers in Alexander, so thats $20,000 per home, plus interest, plus maintenance.

The government promises grants, but usually they dont come through, and people have to pay off the USDA over 40 years. We are talking about folks on fixed incomes and working people who cant sustain this sort of stuff. And if you cant pay, the USDA can put a lien on your property and even garnish your wages, Shear continued.

Plus, they wont tell you that many homes will have to have bigger electrical services installed to handle the grinding pumps that are necessary for these sewer systems. The pumps are unreliable and break down all the time.

When you add it all up, these things end up costing more than a house is worth in a small town. My water bill now is $25 per month. It would go to $100 per month with a sewer system.

Look at LuVerne. Their sewer project started out at $1.9 million, and its already up to $3.1 million. Their water bills went from $40 a month to $90 a month, and now they are going even higher. Theres a town in southeast Iowa that went from 130 people to 35 people because of one of these sewer projects.

I would agree to have broken septic tanks replaced. But leave working tanks alone. Cheaper alternatives are available, Shear stated.

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$20,000 to flush your toilet? It could happen in rural Iowa

One of the many tasks of public health is to protect drinking water as safe water is vital not only to health but also to economic development.

The ancient Romans developed a series of aqueducts and public latrines with the intention of making sewage go away. Their technology was innovative, but not very effective. Disease from contaminated water continued to spread widely.

This idea of simply making sewage go away prevailed until the very end of the 20th century.

In the 1950s and 60s, we experienced rapid economic growth and people by the thousands wanted to move out of the city to areas where there was no public sewer system. To accommodate this urban sprawl, we installed on-site sewage disposal systems that utilized leaching trenches and dry wells that were often deep enough to contaminate the aquifer. If waste water drained away quickly, that was considered good and we had little regard for where the sewage went.

Today, we realize that we need to do what is necessary to make sewage safe before it goes away. In Ohio, statewide rules are being developed for home sewage systems. No longer will we install sewage disposal systems. The plan is to install sewage treatment systems.

The new rules are still being finalized through a collaborative effort of private industry and government, and they are expected to be finalized for 2015. Their task is to protect the water supply through use of modern technology and better-trained contractors while providing more options for the homeowner or those who wish to build new homes.

The rules will require better use of the soil above bedrock as it contains micro-organisms that digest harmful bacteria and viruses contained in raw sewage. In order to determine what technology will be installed, we expect that all new and replacement septic systems, including those with expired approvals, will require a soil evaluation by the health department or a soil scientist.

At the same time, we expect a decrease of the required depth of soil which will allow us to install mostly modern leaching trenches instead of above-ground systems called mounds. Modern leaching trenches are not as deep and will have minimum length requirements along land contours which will make it more challenging to install a replacement system. A detailed plot plan will also be required for all new and replacement systems.

We expect the encouragement of the use of green technology. Water from bathing, showering and washing clothes will be allowed to be recycled through irrigation systems. Incinerating and composting toilets may also be installed in order to reduce the volume of waste discharged into the environment.

Installers, services providers and pumpers will have to show that they are trained to work with modern technology by passing a statewide test, having certificates of training for specific systems and completing continuing education courses. They will also be more accountable by having proof of general liability insurance and a surety bond.

See the article here:
Looming new sewage regulations can improve public health

NORTHUMBERLAND Construction bids were opened Thursday afternoon for a $7.4 million Lithia Springs, Ridge Road and Bulk Road area sewer project that will involve construction of lines and two pump stations and bring about 122 homes in those areas of Point Township into compliance with environmental standards.

A portion of the construction project will be federally funded through PennVest, and about $3 million will come from grant money.

The apparent low bid for the construction contract came from Doli Construction Corp., of Pottsville, at $5,627,359. The seven bids ranged to a high of $7.1 million.

The apparent low bidder for electrical work is K&N Electric Inc., of Sunbury, with a submission of $183,498. The four bids ranged to a high of $228,000.

Contracts are expected to be awarded during next Thursdays Point Township Sewer Authority meeting. It will be held in the township building.

The other six construction bids came from Sippel Development Co. Inc., of Sewickley, $5,657,782; HRI Inc., of Williamsport, $5,699,855; MF Ronca & Sons Inc., of Harrisburg, $5,761,000; Pact Construction, of Ringoes, N.J., $5,764,915; Anrich Inc., of Wayne, $6,691,675; and Sikora Bros. Paving Inc., of Shickshinny, $7,161,675.

Other bids for the electrical contract came from HRI Inc., of Williamsport, $215,940; TRA Electric Inc., of Watsontown, $226,740; and PSI Pumping Solutions Inc., of York Springs, $228,000.

Construction is scheduled to begin in May and be completed in about a year. The homes that will be served by the new sewer lines are connected to septic tanks. The project will install a public system main line, with lateral lines connecting to the 122 homes.

Excerpt from:
7 firms vie to build $7.4M sewer project in Point Township

Like a growing number of Californians, Latino residents of East Orosi are paying for water that's not fit to drink

Tomas Ovalle

Special Report: Pollution, Poverty, People of Color Communities across the US face environmental injustices

Read Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 of the Special Report

EAST OROSI, Calif. Jessica Sanchez sits on the edge of her seat in her mothers kitchen, hands resting on her bulging belly. Eight months pregnant, shes excited about the imminent birth of her son. But shes scared too.

A few feet away, her mother, Bertha Dias, scrubs potatoes with water she bought from a vending machine. She wont use the tap water because its contaminated with nitrates.

Every day, Dias, 43, heads to the fields to pick lemons or oranges, lugging a ladder so she can reach the treetops. She often skips lunch to save money for the $17.50 she needs each week to fill jugs with vending-machine water.

Four years ago, the family learned that it had nitrates in its drinking water, which Sanchez drank as a little girl. She started speaking out about her towns toxic water when she discovered that nitrates can cause blue baby syndrome, a potentially fatal blood disorder that cuts off an infants oxygen supply.

Now it really hits me, she said, because now its my baby.

Sanchez, 18, who graduated from high school last year, lives in East Orosi, a square parcel carved out of 160 acres of land in Tulare County surrounded by orchards in the shadow of the snow-capped Sierra Nevada. Fewer than 500 people, nearly all Latino, live in this long-neglected town with no sidewalks, street lights, parks or playgrounds. More than half live below the poverty level.

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Pollution, Poverty and People of Color: Don't Drink the Water

Country Junction, a home decor and gift store on Southside Oneonta, is closing, owner Kelly Gell said Friday.

We will be open as long as we inventory, said Gell, who owns the business with her husband, Lary. The businesss candle-making operations closed in October, she said, and the decision to close the gift store was a long time coming but finalized this week and announced Friday.

The expenses of doing business, including supplies, rent and electricity, were too high to continue, she said, and customers also have been affected by the economy.

The business has existed about 15 years in various retail and wholesale modes, she said, and at the busiest time, there were 18 employees. She said she will miss her associations with suppliers, employees and customers.

I had a lot of great people to work with, Gell said. Customers who found out about the store closing after a notice was posted Friday on Facebook have expressed disappointment, she said. Readers of The Daily Star recently had voted Country Junction as the Best of the Best gift stores, she said, expressing disappointment that she wont be able to hang the plaque in the store.

Country Junction has been located at 4987 State Highway 23 at the Community Bank Plaza for almost two years after three years across the highway in Southside Mall, she said.

The store will be recognizing gift certificates and punch cards, Gell said, and she encouraged customers to stop in.

DEC: BROOKS WAS FIRST TO SUBMIT SELF AUDIT

The state Department of Environmental Conservation has reported that Brooks House of Bar-B-Q in Oneonta is the first businesses in the state to be covered under an environmental audit policy.

Brooks self-reported to authorities that it lacked the proper waste-water permit for its business, signed an environmental audit policy in January and took steps to reduce the amount of waste-water generated, a DEC media release issued this month said. Under the policy, Brooks paid $500 in back regulatory fees, committed to obtain the proper waste-water permit and to install a new waste-water treatment system by Jan. 1.

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Country Junction in Oneonta to close

by 13News Now

WVEC.com

Posted on March 27, 2014 at 4:53 PM

Updated yesterday at 6:41 PM

YORKTOWN -- A popular shortcut has been closed in he name of progress and saving the Chesapeake Bay.

Yorktown Road is closed to through traffic between Calthrop Neck Road and Big Bethel Road near Tabb High School as crews install a sewer system.

Although residents have access to their homes, through traffic has to find an alternate route during the daytime hours.

"It's okay for me because I can go out Calthrop Neck Road. But, the buses are having to go completely around," resident Christy Wilson said.

The county is paying about $328,000 to put in a gravity sewer collection system in that area.

"The county is extending sanitary sewer to existing developed neighborhoods areas that are on septic systems. The primary focus is to help the Chesapeake Bay and the tributaries that feed the bay," said Brian Woodward, Chief of Utilities.

Originally posted here:
Yorktown Road closed to install sewer system

Warmer temperatures are certainly a welcome relief, but melting snow and spring rain can cause a whole new set of problems, including a flooded basement.

TVs home repair expert Bob Vila offers seven tips for avoiding a flooded basement, with a few comments by local basement expert Rob Kesler of Bone Dry Waterproofing in Fenton.

Keslers company provides structural repairs, using epoxy and urethane injections, as well as interior drain tile systems. If your basement is finished, you may not be able to see whats happening behind the walls, said Kesler. Your first clue for moisture may be a musty smell or any signs of water, especially between the wall and the floor.

1 Check your gutters and downspouts

Keep gutters free of debris and position downspouts away from your homes foundation. Your goal is to drain storm water at least 3 feet away, so some home-owners may have to run extensions or troughs.

2 Repair foundation cracks

Inspect exterior foundation and your basements walls and floors. Use epoxy to fill any foundation cracks and apply masonry sealer indoors, if necessary. Typically, in a poured wall, Kesler would use high pressure urethane grout injection.

If its a cinder block wall, Bone Dry Waterproofing would either do a dig out from the outside or an interior drain tile system, re-routing the water underneath the floor.

Its a very common problem, he said.

3 Make sure your sump pump is working

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Seven tips to avoid a flooded basement