Decades of wear and tear aren’t the only thing compromising weighing on the village of Mamaroneck’s sewer lines. According to a recent meeting by the village’s Harbor Coastal Zone Management Commission an influx of new development has compounded the village’s problems.
Clark Neuringer, chairman of the harbor commission, says despite the increasing concern of pollution caused by the village’s degraded sewer lines, new developments continue to be approved.
“I’ve been living in the village for 40 some odd years,” Neuringer said. “My understanding is that [this problem] has been going on for 15 years, maybe longer.”
Currently the village—in addition to 11 other Sound Shore-area municipalities across Westchester—is embroiled in a countywide lawsuit which alleges that villages, towns and cities across the county are operating in violation of the EPA’s Clean Water Act for polluting the Long Island Sound.
The lawsuit, filed by the environmental advocacy group Save the Sound, alleges that waste water has been entering coastal waters via sewer drains that have become porous after decades of neglect. According to the group, some sample sites have been failing the EPA safe-swim criteria by as much as three times the legal limit of fecal contaminants.
According to Neuringer, while neglect is the root cause of widespread pollution, he says that development in the village—which he claims has been increasing—are exacerbating it.
“It’s clear to any reasonable observer that developments have been increasing in the village,” Neuringer said. “The question that ought to be asked is: If there are pipes that are polluting our waters, why would you add additional development?”
According to Village Manager Richard Slingerland, a comprehensive study carried out in partnership with Westchester County in 2007 is the latest reference available for those looking to quantify the scope of the village’s sewer problems.
In this report—called the Savin report—various areas in the village were studied, including homes near Rushmore and Frank avenues that reported severe flooding, in addition to pump stations at Cove Road and Edgewater.
Findings in the report show significant infiltration issues in addition to broken pipes, corrosion, offset joints, grease and other issues in both the Rushmore and Frank avenues areas of study.
Additionally, the study notes that the Cove Road pump station had seen its inflow increase by 50 percent between 2002 and 2004.
The conclusion of the 2007 study was that all areas encompassed in its reach were in need of extensive infrastructure improvement projects.
Since the study was conducted, Slingerland said that the village has taken various measures to correct the problem. He pointed to the push to reline sewers located on private property; a project which he said was impeded by the extent of the degraded lines.
“The village had done a lot relining of sewer mains in the past,” the village manager said. “But the relining work that was done in the past wasn’t smooth enough, so out of the 40 or so grouting locations, we could only do about three or four.”
Despite claims from Neuringer that the village has been too lax in solving the problems, Mayor Norman Rosenblum, a Republican, said the village is doing everything within its power to ensure that its sewer lines are repaired accordingly.
“The city is doing its due diligence as far as oversight,” he said.
While the mayor acknowledged that the village must oversee new development, he also believes it is a tool to grow the city economically, and must be balanced with concerns over the increasing burden on the village’s sewer lines.
“It is imperative on behalf of the taxpayers that the village must continue to develop and grow while maintaining its character as a village,” Rosenblum said.
