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Town hears PlanIQ briefing on wastewater communications upgrade to avoid DEC consent order
Summary
A PlanIQ representative told the Cheektowaga board that damaged sensors and communications left some pump sites out of compliance with DEC reporting; the vendor said repairs would restore reporting and avoid notices that could culminate in a consent order.
Council Member Reece introduced a wastewater utilities operations resolution and invited pump-station supervisor Enzo Belvia and a PlanIQ consultant to brief the board. Mark Massa of PlanIQ said the town has suffered equipment and communications degradation at multiple pump sites — including the landfill and certain stations — resulting in reporting gaps to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). He urged prompt repairs to avoid notices and a possible consent order.
“Getting those sensors and all that communications and database structure back in place and getting the reporting back” is the project’s focus, Massa said, adding engineers must locate missing documentation and assess sites where historical records are incomplete. He warned that continued communication failures could prevent gate controls from operating remotely and, in a worst case, cause sewer backups into nearby neighborhoods.
Council members asked about compliance ramifications. Massa said the DEC process typically begins with a notice of noncompliance and can escalate to a consent order requiring immediate repairs. Pump‑station supervisor Enzo Belvia and PlanIQ staff described the proposed timeline as fast and said some equipment and pre‑staged materials were already being gathered to accelerate the work.
Supervisor and council members asked about neighborhood impacts and emergency contingencies for critical sites identified (including Villa Maria and areas along Harlem/Clinton). PlanIQ said the work would prioritize sites whose communication failures pose the greatest public-safety and reporting risk. The board did not take a final vote on the resolution during the work session; the discussion was used to clarify the scope and timeline before the formal resolution vote.
Next steps: the board will consider the resolution authorizing the upgrade and seek any additional details on timeline and cost estimates before a final vote.
