With mounting concern over the condition of sewer systems countywide, the village of Mamaroneck’s Harbor & Coastal Zone Management Commission looks to place some of the onus of sewer analysis on developers; a proposal which has drawn flak from the village engineer.
“It’s my belief that when there is a proposed increase in intensity of use on a site by a developer,” harbor commission member Clark Neuringer explained, “they should ensure that the pipes are in reasonably good condition.”
Skepticism over the integrity of sewer lines in the village and areas of the county reached a tipping point over the past year after Save the Sound, an environmental advocacy group, launched a multi-municipal lawsuit alleging violations of the EPA’s Clean Water Act.
The suit—which names 10 other municipalities across the county in addition to the village—claims that porous and neglected sewer lines have attributed to the contamination of waterways as well as the Long Island Sound; a long protected body of water.
Despite what some commission members view as deficient systems, however, Neuringer said developers continue to add strain on the village.
Applicants, Neuringer explained, often enlist the help of lawyers who, during an application process, point to a site’s predetermined sewer capacity as a basis for approval. This process, he said, doesn’t take into account the level to which a system has degraded over time.
“The question is not of capacity, but of condition,” Neuringer said. “How much stuff is leaking out of the pipes?”
In response to growing concerns over leaking sewer systems, harbor commission members have begun discussions with village officials over requiring developers or applicants to televise sewer systems—an analysis which entails opening a line and running cameras through it—before building.
[[do we have any feedback from other village officials…slingerland or board member about the proposal?]]
This proposal, however, has drawn criticism from Village Engineer Hernane DeAlmeida, who said that such a requirement wouldn’t just be onerous on both the village and applicants, but also a danger to the integrity of sewer lines.
“Televising lines can cause significant issues,” DeAlmeida said. “I feel uncomfortable with anyone sticking equipment unnecessarily into the sewer lines.”
In addition to the potential of a camera getting stuck in a line, according to DeAlmeida, televising a sewer line requires the pipe to be flushed using pressurized water. In the process, this sudden influx of water can cause a line to collapse.
“There are inherent risks with putting anything in the sanitary sewer lines,” he said.
DeAlmeida added that the village can require an analysis for developments that the village believes may put a significant strain on sewer infrastructure, adding that 50 to 100 more housing units may constitute an analysis.
The assignment of any mandatory analysis would be at the discretion of the village engineer—in this case, DeAlmeida—and would possibly entail televising lines and using flow meters to inspect for any blockage, among other precautions.
According to DeAlmeida, a board requiring a developer to televise a line before building would be unprecedented in his experience.
“To my knowledge, no board has ever required anyone to televise a line before,” he said.
Currently, the village is in the midst of carrying out a large scale analysis of its sewers to pinpoint problem areas in its infrastructure; a process kick started by an administrative order handed down by the EPA in 2011.
According to DeAlmeida, the process of inspecting the entirety of the village’s sewer systems should be completed within the next 10 to 20 years—an analysis which the village engineer said is the “most aggressive” he has seen.
