Three grants awarded by CWC; new septic programs under development

MARGARETVILLE, N.Y., July 25, 2008 - The Catskill Watershed Corporation Board of Directors July 22 approved two stormwater grants to the Town of Shandaken as well as a grant to the Village of Walton to repair a streambank retaining wall.

The board also heard from Executive Director Alan Rosa that a $26 million contract between CWC and New York City has been executed to continue the residential septic repair program through 2017, and to allow planning for two new septic programs to go forward.

Rules for the new programs - to help Watershed small businesses pay for repairs and replacements of failing septic systems, and to provide systems for small clusters of homes - are in development. The programs are expected to be operational by the end of the year.

The existing septic remediation program for single - family residences or home/business combinations has addressed 2,693 systems since 1997.

Extension of the current program, and addition of the two new programs, were stipulated in the 2007 filtration waiver issued to the NYC Department of Environmental Protection by the US Environmental Protection Agency by which the City avoids filtering its Catskill-Delaware water supply.

Grants approved for the Town of Shandaken on July 22 will pay to plan and implement stormwater improvements. An award of $35,530 will enable a Stormwater Infrastructure Planning and Assessment Project. Another grant, for $24,436, will purchase and install brine tanks for four dump trucks, and a fifth brine storage tank. The use of brine on Shandaken roadways during the winter will reduce the quantity of sand that is needed, thus reducing sediment runoff and water quality degradation.

The Village of Walton will receive a $31,000 grant under the Stream Corridor Protection Program to design and replace a section of retaining wall along West Brook on Mead Street. The 20-foot long, 10-foot high section of stacked rock wall in this residential neighborhood was damaged in June 2006 flood. Its further deterioration threatens a county-owned bridge, along with village water and sewer lines just downstream.

The Catskill Watershed Corporation is a non-profit local development corporation which runs several environmental protection, economic development and education programs in the New York City Catskill-Delaware Watershed. www.cwconline.org