Council completes environmental review, authorizes contractor work and adds state SRF terms for Terminal Pump Station project

The Binghamton City Council on April 9 approved an environmental finding and authorized project work for the Terminal Pump Station, saying the upgrades are necessary and will be performed with mitigation measures because the site lies partly in the 100- and 500-year floodplains.

Corporation counsel reviewed Parts 1 and 3 of the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQR) environmental-assessment form during the meeting and recommended a negative declaration after outlining potential impacts and planned mitigation. Counsel noted construction could stretch to 15 months overall but said soil-disturbing work is not expected to exceed one year and described steps to reduce flood and erosion impacts: reinforcing erosion and sediment controls ahead of major storms, removing construction equipment from flood-plain areas before storms, restoring grades post-construction, and coordinating with ongoing local flood-mitigation work.

Council members and staff said the work responds to a consent order with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) and that there are no practicable alternate sites outside the floodplain for the pump station work. The council adopted an authorization to hire Seager for the project (R25-21) and separately approved a no-cost amendment to incorporate the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation’s state revolving fund (SRF) equivalency terms and conditions into the contract (R25-22). Both resolutions passed by recorded roll call, 5-0.

Corporation counsel said the city has minimized and will mitigate significant adverse impacts "to the maximum extent practicable" and does not anticipate significant environmental harm as a result of the proposed construction. Council members asked about the process for reading the negative declaration into the record and confirmed coordination with state agencies would continue as the project advances.

Implementation notes provided at the meeting and in the discussion: - Construction schedule: sponsors said full project duration may be up to about 15 months, but soil-disturbing activities are planned for a period not to exceed one year. - Floodplain work: the site lies in both the 100- and 500-year floodplain; the project will use erosion controls, flood contingency procedures and post-construction grading to match existing elevation. - State compliance: council adopted contract language required by the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation as part of SRF-equivalency terms.

Council action - R25-21 (authorize Seager; negative declaration completed): passed 5-0. - R25-22 (no-cost amendment adding NYSEFC SRF-equivalency terms): passed 5-0.

The council recorded the approvals so work can proceed in coordination with NYSDEC and other flood mitigation activities; sponsors said the upgrades are intended to reduce the risk of pump-station failure and associated environmental consequences.