User:MadisonQuinn/savetherain:

Save the Rain is the comprehensive combined sewer overflow (CSO) abatement program of Onondaga County, New York. The program is designed to improve water quality in Onondaga Lake and its tributaries using a balanced gray and green infrastructure approach to water resource management.

Description

The purpose of the Save the Rain program is to reduce pollution to Onondaga Lake and its tributaries. During wet weather events, stormwater flows into the local sewer system, causing heavy flow periods that can overload the system. During times of overload, the system is designed to release combined sanitary flow and stormwater into local waterways (Harbor Brook, Onondaga Creek). This event is known as a Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO). CSOs significantly reduce water quality in local tributary water bodies including Onondaga Lake.

History

Since 1998, Onondaga County has been under an Amended Consent Judgment (ACJ) by the federal courts to take steps to reduce and/or eliminate the frequency of CSO events. Under the ACJ, the County has completed dozens of projects related to CSO abatement and reduction. In particular, the County made dramatic improvements at the Metropolitan Syracuse Wastewater Treatment Plant (Metro) that serves the City of Syracuse. In addition, the County initiated several sewer separation and other projects to further improve water quality and manage stormwater runoff. To date, the County has completed over 30 gray projects to improve sewage conveyance and treatment at a cost of over $300 million. ACJ projects have resulted in great improvements to the water quality of Onondaga Lake.

In January 2008, under the direction of County Executive Joanne M. Mahoney, County officials and interested stakeholders began to investigate alternative options to the use of solely gray infrastructure to combat stormwater runoff. The County worked with all parties of the ACJ to develop a new environmentally friendly plan that would utilize sustainable solutions. On November 16, 2009, US District Judge Frederick Scullin signed a revised ACJ plan that included an aggressive initiative to develop green infrastructure, positioning Onondaga County as a leader in the use of environmentally sustainable solutions to reduce stormwater pollution.

Project 50

County Executive Joanie Mahoney set forth an ambitious agenda for green infrastructure deployment in 2011. Known as “Project 50,” the goal was to implement 50 distinct green infrastructure projects within the combined sewershed of the City of Syracuse, NY over the course of the year. Save the Rain exceeded this goal, advancing 60 projects in 2011 which will capture approximately 50 million gallons of stormwater runoff annually.

Recognition

In April 2011, Save the Rain gained recognition for leadership in green infrastructure implementation from the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The agency released it's "Strategic Agenda To Protect Waters and Build More Livable Communities Through Green Infrastructure" and named Onondaga County/Syracuse as one of 10 community green infrastructure partners.

Natural Resources Defense Council also highlighted Save the Rain in a 2011 report entitled "Rooftops to Rivers II: Green Strategies for Controlling Stormwater and Combined Sewer Overflows." Syracuse was one of the case studies included in the report as well as a complementary case study video.

References