By RICK MILLER
Olean Star
OLEAN — Mayor Bill Aiello on Thursday detailed steps the city has taken to stem sewage overflows into the Allegheny River after speakers pressed aldermen to show progress and resolve to end the problem by next summer.
The speakers, from the Salamanca area, noted the city didn’t get any replies to its request for proposals earlier this year to study the overflow problem and recommend a solution. In the past six years, 1.2 million gallons of untreated sewage have overflowed into the river.
They asked for an update, but the mayor and aldermen do not publicly respond to questions during the public comment of a meeting.
Aiello, in a telephone interview with the Olean Star, said the city is not ignoring the problem, and acknowledged the long-standing consent decree by the state Department of Environmental Conservation to correct the problem.
“We put $25 million into the sewage treatment plant” under the consent decree and continue to spend $250,000 a year to address water infiltration into sanitary sewers, the mayor said. That is used primarily to reline existing sanitary sewer pipe to eliminate water infiltration.
The lift stations’ alert systems have been upgraded, pumps have been upgraded and gas generators have been added at the South Fourth Street and Martha Avenue pump stations, Aiello said.
Sewer crews have been checking stormwater drains along streets that drain to the South Fourth Street lift station and have been able to separate 15 stormwater lines from sanitary sewers.
“All of this has been helping to keep stormwater out of the sewers,” Aiello said. “We haven’t had any heavy rains for a while.
Aiello said city officials are looking at a 22-year-old study that included a survey of homes and businesses to determine if roof drains were connected to the sanitary sewer system.
City code calls for roof drains connected to the sanitary sewers to be disconnected. In some cases the downspouts empty into stone-lined dry wells or drain directly onto lawns.
One of the speakers, Glenn Wahl of Little Valley has suggested to city could hire a crew to do an up-to-date survey of roof drains. He believes they are a major contributor to the sewage overflows in times of heavy rains.
Aiello said he would keep working with the Common Council on the overflow issue and continue to look for ways to rectify the situation.
The mayor also addressed another issue raised by another speaker at Tuesday’s council meeting — sidewalks that are not cleared of snow along East State and North Union streets.
Robert Kennedy, a disabled veteran from Seneca Avenue said he found it “very difficult” to navigate East State Street and North Union Street sidewalks that are not shoveled and are icy. “Look out for the disabled and do something,” he urged the Common Council.
“His concern was with people who don’t have their sidewalks shovelled,” Aiello said.
The Public Works Department notifies homeowners when they haven’t shovelled their sidewalks for 24 hours, the mayor said. “Residents have 24 hours after a snowfall to get their sidewalks shovelled,” he added.
Residents in areas where there are eight-foot sidewalks are only required to clear a path four feet wide, Aiello said.
In commercial areas, sidewalks are to be shovelled completely between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
