Published: August 14, 2008 12:06 pm      

CONSERVATION: Federal funding secured for Albion’s shoreline

Project will repair erosion near Albion Water Treatment Plant.

WATERPORT — The shoreline along the Village of Albion Water Treatment Plant could look drastically different this winter if a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers preservation project pulls through.

U.S. Rep. Louise M. Slaughter, D-Fairport, announced Wednesday that she has secured $250,000 in federal funding to rebuild 250 to 300 feet of eroded property along Lake Ontario.

Without it, the plant could be flooded or suffer other serious damage, she said.

Work on the project went out to bid this month. The cost of construction is estimated to be between $250,000 and $500,000, said Project Manager Casey Brzozowiec with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

If everything goes according to plan, the irregularly shaped shoreline will be reinforced with layers of stone “rip rap” that will serve to protect it for 50 years, Brzozowiec said.

“The work can begin as soon as early October,” Slaughter said.

The project will involve clearing out vegetation currently growing along the shoreline, a steep drop-off extending from the village property line down to the lake. The contractor will even the space with granular fill and layers of sheath, stones and boulders, said Chief of Technical Services Dave Conboy.

The rebuild is designed specifically to withstand the region’s inclement weather, he said.

Maintenance of the new shoreline will be the responsibility of the Village of Albion. One requirement is that new vegetation not be allowed to sprout.

“It should be a nice, flat shoreline,” Brzozowiec said. “There are some very rigid requirements that will have to be met.”

The construction bill for the project will be split between the federal government, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Village of Albion, ACE public affairs officer Bruce Sanders said.

Federal funding is expected to cover 65 percent, while the DEC will pay for the remaining 35 percent, he said.

The water treatment plant cleans and redistributes an average of 1.8 million gallons of water per day, said Chief Plant Operator Rick Preston. Its maximum capacity is 3 million gallons daily.

Water is pumped out of the lake up to 1,800 feet away, said Dale Brooks, superintendent of public works for the village. Over 15,000 people as far as Barre, Murray, Albion, Carlton, Gaines and Kendall use the water treated there, he said.

The plant itself was established in 1963, Preston said. It is one of the last remaining local water treatment plants in the area, joined by Lyndonville and Holley.

“All of the smaller plants are gone. They’ve been taken over by the water authorities,” he said. “We can be competitive in the rates ... compared to the water authority. ... The residents wind up with a better quality water.”

Preston began advocating for the protection of the plant’s shoreline 10 years ago, said Village Trustee Kevin Sheehan. The project announcement comes at an opportune time, as Preston will retire at the end of this week after 35 years in the business.

The project is a win-win for the community, Slaughter said. It will maintain the property’s tax base while preserving a “valuable natural resource,” Lake Ontario, she said.

“I represent 100 miles of Great Lakes shore,” she said. “We have to take care of it.”

Contact reporter Nicole Coleman at 798-1400, ext. 8227.