Sewer consolidation project halfway done; county reports $72M in grants and estimated household rate impact

County and consultant representatives told the legislature committees on Jan. 27 that the Elmira Sewer District consolidation project is roughly half finished, with major construction of a regionalized Milton Street treatment facility, a conveyance pipeline crossing the Chemung River, and Lake Street influent/pump upgrades under way.

"Program completion is slated for... we have broken this program into 3 separate contract groups," said Andrew Cuzio of Arcadis, who described completed work on site preparation and early electrical and HVAC improvements. Matt Zorro, Arcadis principal in charge, said crews have completed the moving bed biofilm reactor structural work ahead of schedule and that trickling filters and clarifiers are entering start‑up phases.

Why it matters: the project consolidates Elmira Sewer District and Sewer District 1 to meet nitrogen‑removal requirements tied to Chesapeake Bay compliance and to reduce sanitary and combined sewer overflows. The county described the consolidation as the largest infrastructure investment in its history.

Funding and household cost: county staff reported a $275,000,000 bond resolution for the program and said the project has secured about $72,000,000 in grant funding to date (roughly 26% of the program). With current grant awards and low‑interest financing the county estimated the eventual sewer charge for the average household (using 60,000 gallons annually) could be between $500 and $550 per year under current projections; officials said that without grants and with higher interest financing that figure could be substantially higher.

Construction and schedule: the program is organized into multiple contract groups. Contract Group 1 (HVAC & electrical admin building) and Contract Group 2 (site earthwork) are largely complete; Contract Group 4 is the balance of the regional facility; Contract Group 5 is the conveyance pipeline and is roughly 80% complete, county staff said. Officials reported some geotechnical and groundwater issues at the Lake Street influent site that delayed elements of that contract but said the team has adjusted the schedule and negotiated solutions to avoid compliance impacts.

Risk management: project managers said they identified major risks (supply chain and electrical equipment lead times, geotechnical surprises) early and used interim power plans, schedule crashing and negotiated allowance use to recover timeline and minimize change orders. One example: a contested change order for the SD‑1 lift station was negotiated down from an original $1.4 million claim to about $670,000 after review and negotiation.

Economic and workforce impacts: county staff estimated peak construction employment exceeding 100 workers on site during busy months, with many contractors living locally. Officials also said the facility will add roughly 10–15% future treatment capacity to accommodate planned growth and development.

Next steps: officials said they will continue to seek WQIP and congressional directed spending grants, convert short‑term loans to long‑term EFC financing (including a closed long‑term 0% loan for $22,000,000) and advance remaining construction milestones toward substantial completion targets set for mid‑2026 and final completion later in the same year. The county recommended more frequent updates to the legislature given the project’s scale.

Quoted officials and consultants were Andrew Cuzio and Matt Zorro of Arcadis, and Ellie (county project representative), who provided updates on grant totals and rate impacts.