By MATTHEW REITZ
OSWEGO — More than 10 years and nearly $60 million after the city of Oswego and environmental regulators reached a settlement to resolve persistent problems with unpermitted sewer overflows, the three-phase sewer separation effort is coming to an end.
The city of Oswego entered into a judicial consent decree with the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) in May 2010 due to what the EPA called “long-standing problems with unpermitted sewer overflows.” Port City officials say the overwhelming majority of the mandated work —which started as early as 2012 — is now complete, and the massive undertaking provides the city with a modern wastewater system that protects public health and the environment.
Federal and state environmental regulators forced the city to separate at least 75 percent of its aging west side sewer and storm water systems, which were previously combined in one system, after years of unpermitted overflows into the Oswego River and Lake Ontario.
The Palladium-Times & Valley News
