Village Of Whitesboro: News: News [Digital Towpath]

Take Care of Those Catch Basins! May 25, 2007 Here's a question...when you pick up the debris from your lawn, where do you put it? Do you put it at the curb waiting for the local public works officials to pick it up? Before you do, you may want to see if and when that pick up will happen. That's because if your leaves/sand/ lawn debris are piled on top of a catch basin, flooding could result. Catch basins are the drain for storm sewer systems. If the drain is clogged, it won't work properly. That means that stormwater from a heavy rainfall might not be able to find its way into a drain and could cause flooding. So, if you keep those catch basins clear of debris, you may reduce flooding in your neighborhood. If you're going to put your lawn debris next to the curb, cal the DPW first to find out about pick up options.
Stormwater: Better Site Design Practices May 25, 2007 Better Site Design describes a series of innovative stormwater management practices. Many of these practices focus on the basic principles of stormwater management: reduction of impervious surfaces and protection of vegetation. Impervious surfaces include roads, driveways, rooftops, and parking lots. The more impervious surfaces we create, the more stormwater we have to deal with. Better Site Design calls for redesign of roads and cul-de-sacs and incorporation of porous pavement in parking lots. Another basic tenet of stormwater management and Better Site Design is protection of vegetation. When vegetation is removed from a site, stormwater runoff tends to increase. Vegetation helps to collect and treat stormwater to prevent flooding and pollution. Construction phasing can go a long way toward reducing stormwater runoff by simply protecting existing vegetation or by seeding areas that are temporarily idle. For more information about Better Site Design practices, please visit http://www.stormwater.net/.
Stormwater 101 for Residents May 25, 2007 Do you know what New Hartford has in common with Clayville, Utica, Kirkland, Deerfield, Westmoreland and a dozen other communities in our area? They're all MS4s. Bet you weren't expecting that answer! So, what's an MS4? An MS4 is a Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System. It's a publicly owned storm sewer system that conveys stormwater to a creek or a lake or a wetland, rather than a sewage treatment plant. That's right...the water that lands on the streets and the parking lots in our area flows into a series of drains called catch basins or storm grates. All of that water eventually finds its way, untreated, into tributaries of the Mohawk River including the Sauquoit Creek, the Oriskany Creek and Realls Creek. In order to protect the water quality of our streams, the MS4 communities in the Utica Urbanized Area had to develop Stormwater Management Plans. These state mandated plans include public education and outreach activities, erosion and sediment control ordinances, and storm system mapping. Want to help keep our streams clean? Avoid littering - garbage collects in the catch basins and can end up polluting your favorite fishing hole. Keep your car maintained - fluids that leak out of your car collect in parking lots and can be washed into the catch basins and carried to the creeks. Finally, don't dump anything like motor oil or dirt into the catch basins - remember the water in the catch basins is not filtered before it enters our creeks. For more information about the MS4 program, please contact DPW Superintendent Charles Tritten at (315) 736-7003 or the Oneida County Soil and Water Conservation District at 736-3334.
Septic System Newsletter Article May 25, 2007 Septic system newsletter article Do you know where your waste goes? No, not the kind that you bring to the curb, we're talking about the other stuff...Do you have a septic system or is your home connected to the municipal sanitary sewer line? If you've got a septic system, here's some information that might interest you. More information can be found on the EPA's website at http://www.epa.gov/owm/septic/pubs/homeowner_guide_long.pdf. Septic System Dos and Don'ts (adapted from National Small Flows Clearinghouse) Dos Check with the local regulatory agency or inspector/pumper if you have a garbage disposal unit to make sure that your septic system can handle this additional waste. Check with your local health department before using additives. Commercial septic tank additives do not eliminate the need for periodic pumping and can be harmful to the system. Use water efficiently to avoid overloading the septic system. Be sure to repair leaky faucets or toilets. Use high-efficiency fixtures. Use commercial bathroom cleaners and laundry detergents in moderation. Many people prefer to clean their toilets, sinks, showers, and tubs with a mild detergent or baking soda. Check with your local regulatory agency or inspector/pumper before allowing water softener backwash to enter your septic tank. Keep records of repairs, pumpings, inspections, permits issued, and other system maintenance activities. Learn the location of your septic system. Keep a sketch of it with your maintenance record for service visits. Have your septic system inspected and pumped as necessary by a licensed inspector/contractor. Plant only grass over and near your septic system. Roots from nearby trees or shrubs might clog and damage the drainfield. Dont's Your septic system is not a trash can. Don't put dental floss, feminine hygiene products, condoms, diapers, cotton swabs, cigarette butts, coffee grounds, cat litter, paper towels, latex paint, pesticides, or other hazardous chemicals into your system. Don't use caustic drain openers for a clogged drain. Instead, use boiling water or a drain snake to open clogs. Don't drive or park vehicles on any part of your septic system. Doing so can compact the soil in your drainfield or damage the pipes, tank, or other septic system components.
Adoption of New Local Laws for Stormwater Management May 25, 2007 Check out Laws (Home Page) for reference to new local laws adopted to help the Village of Whitesboro with stormwater management and aid in making the public aware of this very important concern.
Comprehensive Plan Final Draft March 30, 2005 Prepared by the Village of Whitesboro Planning Board. To see the full Plan please go to Home Page, click on Links, go to Village Links-Nan Stolzenburg-Planning Better Places, go to Recent Additions to Client Pages and click on Village of Whitesboro and you will see the Comprehensive Plan.