LEGAL NOTICE
TOWN OF CONSTANTIA
FINAL NOTICE AND PUBLIC EXPLANATION OF
A PROPOSED ACTIVITY IN THE 100-YEAR FLOODPLAIN
To: All interested Agencies, Groups and Individuals, including the Village of Cleveland, Oswego County Highway Dept., NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation, NYS Dept. of Transportation, NYS Environmental Facilities Corporation, NYS Office of Community Renewal, NYS Dept. of Agriculture and Markets, NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Rural Development
This is to give notice that the Town of Constantia has conducted an evaluation as required by Executive Order 11988 and 11990, in accordance with HUD regulations at 24 CFR 55.20 Subpart C Procedures for Making Determinations on Floodplain Management, to determine the potential affect that its activity in the floodplain and wetland will have on the human environment for the Town of Constantia Northshore Sewer Project.
The proposed project involves the installation of approximately 128,000 linear feet of new sewer main in the Town of Constantia, installation of individual grinder pumps and laterals for properties within the new Sewer District, decommissioning of existing on-site septic systems, and upgrades to the Village of Cleveland Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP). The project area is located within the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) mapped 100-year and 500-year floodplains of Oneida Lake and its tributaries. Floodplains provide a number of ecological functions, including flood protection, improved water quality, and wildlife habitat. The proposed sewer main along multiple roads that border Oneida Lake are within the mapped FEMA 100-year and 500-year floodplains of the Lake. In addition, the proposed sewer main along Avery Rd, State Rt 49, Frederick St, Railroad St, County Rt 23, Knapp Rd, Kibbie Lake Rd, Tannery Rd, Hatchery Rd, and the portion of the Oswego County Trail between Clay St and Sand St intersect the mapped 100-year and/or 500-year floodplains of tributaries of Oneida Lake. The WWTP property is partially located in the 100-year floodplain of Black Creek. Sewer main will be located underground, and all temporarily disturbed areas will be restored to their pre-construction grades and stabilized after installation is complete. The proposed WWTP upgrades are not located in the mapped floodplain. No permanent impacts to floodplains will result from the project. The total area of the FEMA-mapped 100-year floodplain is approximately 5.2 acres, and the total area of the mapped 500-year floodplain is 2.5 acres within the project area. The project will result in approximately 1 acre of temporary disturbance to mapped floodplains associated with sewer main installation. The project is located along multiple roadways in the southern portion of the Town of Constantia and along the Oswego County Trail and the existing WWTP in the Village of Cleveland, Oswego County, New York.
The Town of Constantia has considered the following alternatives and mitigation measures to be taken to minimize adverse impacts and to restore and preserve natural and beneficial values: there are no feasible sewer main alignments that entirely avoid mapped floodplains. Disturbances to floodplains will be avoided to the extent possible by using trenchless installation methods. If open-cut trench excavation is required, the floodplain may be temporarily disturbed. However, sewer main will be located underground, and all temporarily disturbed areas will be restored to their pre-construction grades and stabilized after sewer main installation is complete. The project will be designed and constructed in accordance with local floodplain regulations.
The Town of Constantia has reevaluated the alternatives to building in the floodplain and has determined that it has no practicable alternative. Environmental files that document compliance with steps 3 through 6 of Executive Order 11988 are available for public inspection, review and copying upon request at the times and location delineated in the last paragraph of this notice for receipt of comments. This activity will have no significant impact on the environment for the following reasons: temporarily disturbed areas of the floodplain will be restored to their pre-construction grades and covertypes after construction is complete; no new above ground structures are proposed to be located in a floodplain.
There are three primary purposes for this notice. First, people who may be affected by activities in floodplains and those who have an interest in the protection of the natural environment should be given an opportunity to express their concerns and provide information about these areas. Second, an adequate public notice program can be an important public educational tool. The dissemination of information about floodplains can facilitate and enhance Federal efforts to reduce the risks associated with the occupancy and modification of these special areas. Third, as a matter of fairness, when the Federal government determines it will participate in actions taking place in floodplains, it must inform those who may be put at greater or continued risk.
Written comments must be received by the Town of Constantia at the following address on or before July 22, 2022: Town of Constantia, 14 Frederick Street, Constantia, NY 13044 and (315) 623-9206, Attention: Frank Tomaino, Supervisor, during normal business hours (8:30 AM to 4:00 PM, Monday-Thursday). Comments may also be submitted via email at
Date: July 14, 2022
