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SI-Bklyn water project will generate muck and disruption
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Bay Stret Landing, Tompkinsville (Photo: Ann Meehan)
The Department of Environmental Protection fleshed out their plans for replacement of the existing water siphons between Brooklyn and Staten Island recently in front of the Land Use Committee of Community Board #1.
Approximately 20 residents from Bay Street Landing attended and they voiced concerns about the project in a spirited question and answer period that followed.
The project will take place on the waterfront near the bottom of Victory Boulevard and along Front Street.
It is slated to begin in the summer of 2010 and last 3 years at a cost of $200-$300 million.
The proposed 72-inch siphon (water-main) will replace two existing siphons under the Narrows in order to provide a necessary backup water supply from Brooklyn to Staten Island.
The primary water feed from Brooklyn--the Richmond Feed---is a 10-foot diameter tunnel located 100’s of feet below the seafloor.
The new backup siphon will provide 5 million gallons per day of daily water supply to Staten Island under normal conditions.
In emergency situations, the new siphon could supply 50-million gallons per day with a peak flow of 150-million gallons per day.
Digging the new siphon is necessary because ongoing dredging in the Narrows by the Army Corps of Engineers will soon reach a depth low enough to destroy the existing backup siphons but not the primary feed.
Jim Garrett of DEP made the presentation to the Land-Use Committee. He stated that the NY Economic Development Corporation will manage the project which will be paid for jointly by the Port Authorities of NY and NJ.
Mr. Garrett did not attempt to minimize the impact on the surrounding area which includes the residential buildings at Bay Street Landing, Tompkinsville Pool, and Cromwell Center.
He said the project involves digging the new, deeper siphon, creation of a new chlorination station off Front Street, creation of new shafts and a pipeline, plus considerable infrastructure work under and above other streets in the area.
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Hannah Street Overpass, Tompkinsville (Photo: Ann Meehan)
A key concern is removal of the tons of muck the tunneling will produce.
The plan calls for loading the sediment on trucks and transporting it across local roads.
Mr. Garrett said this would normally involve about two trucks an hour but could occur more frequently at key points in the project.
As planned, the trucks will use Hannah Street Overpass as the exit route.
“This is going to impact the elderly and young children, and I don’t see we have any say at all,” said Joan Kell of Bay Street Landing.
Ms. Kell was in favor of requisitioning nearby Miller’s Launch and shipping the muck out by barge instead of by truck.
Mr. Garrett of DEP responded that nearby piers--including the one at the homeport in Stapleton--are not configured for loading and making them so would involve extensive additional dredging and expense.
He added that there are significant environmental concerns about transporting the sediment on water.
Lena Delvaron, President of the Bay Street Homeowners Association, stated she is most concerned about the trucks and heavy construction machinery which will remain in the area and reduce vehicular and pedestrian access.
Ms. Delvaron stated that parking at Bay Street Landing is provided on-site for only one car per residence.
She estimated that 40-50 cars belonging to residents or guests are parked on the street at any given time and these spaces will disappear completely once the project begins.
“How are we going to manage our everyday lives if we can’t park our cars?” asked Nancy Zubrycky, another resident .
Ms. Delvaron agreed with DEP that transporting the sediment using barges was not feasible since the piers in the area have been allowed to become inoperable.
She said she thought more attention should have been paid to phasing the project:
“This is a tremendous project utilizing multiple contractors. Things can get out of hand quickly.”
Mr. Garrett of DEP said road operations will occur 7am-3pm, while tunneling operations will occur from 7am-11pm.
He said the tunneling operations will generate very little noise and no vibrations and that the trucks used to transport the sediment would be tarped.
He added that road operations will be suspended during the summer months to allow access to Tompkinsville Pool.
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Cromwell Center, Tompkinsville (Photo: Ann Meehan)
Vincent Accornero of the Land Use Committee commented:
“We can’t say no--everybody wants clean water--but we can mitigate the impact.”
The Land Use Committee voted unanimously to make approval of the project contingent on the following:
--They want alternative methods of muck removal to be explored, including possible use of S.I. Rapid Transit Authority track and facilities; at the very least, they want truck traffic routed South along Front Street away from the Hannah Street Bridge which leads on to Bay Street.
--They want to investigate the use of city land, possibly at Cromwell Center, to provide temporary parking for displaced residents
--They want additional plantings at the site of the new chlorination station for aesthetic reasons
--They want absolutely no street work to occur at night
--They want an early meeting with the general contractors, DEP, and EDC in order to make sure public concerns are addressed
After the meeting, Ms Delvaron commented on the contingent approval devised by the Community Board Land-Use committee:
“It’s a good first step, but we need more details about this project and its phasing, and we haven’t been provided with that information yet.
“I think the presentation was meant to introduce us to what is coming. I don’t think it was really a venue at which community concerns could be addressed adequately. I hope we are provided with an opportunity to do that in the future.”
Community Board #1 approval is the first step in the process.
The project must also be approved by the Borough President, who is expected to hold additional public hearings.
John Signoriello can be contacted by email at siexaminer@yahoo.com
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