Capacity

The Town of Rotterdam finally acknowledged that the sewage treatment plant needs an upgrade. Project after project has gotten approval on the misleading supposition that there is plenty of capacity at the treatment plant, but Justin Mason’s article in the Gazette on August 16th (http://dailygazette.com/news/2008/aug/16/0816_rottsewage/) plainly makes clear the case I’ve been making for some time. The plant is maxed out.

Add up the reported numbers. The plant receives 1.1 million gallons against a total capacity of 1.5 million gallons daily. That leaves 400,000 gallons to play with. But when the Helderberg Meadows project, which required sewers as a condition of approval is built, that will generate an anticipated 150,000 gallons daily, leaving 250,000. Also, if the dry sewers in Eldorado Estates are connected, a logical connection considering the sewer pipe is existent, that would eat up roughly 200,000 of the leftover capacity.

Cause for alarm? Depends on your viewpoint, for sure. The town thinks they are being proactive by commencing a study to examine energy costs as they contemplate adding capacity. As far as that goes, fine. My concern lies in the fact that meaningful sewage treatment upgrades can be multi-million dollar projects. The level of concern rises when you try to reconcile that with the town’s record of inaction after conducting these studies and their unbridled approval of new development.

Not convinced? Consider the additional 300,000 gallons that a Burdeck Street / Route 7 sewer line is estimated to generate, not to mention the combined load of all the other smaller unmentioned approved development that takes place in town. This is an issue we should all be paying close attention to.

Once again, I think it bears noting that a town-wide moratorium would be a good tool to aid the commendable effort now being made to finally address this matter. Lowering energy costs and doing it right is good. Study is good, but only if what we learn is implemented in a timely fashion. A moratorium would reflect a responsible approach to what is shaping up to be a very sizable problem.