Hornell, New York officials want to improve the municipality's ability to deal with wastewater generated by heavy industry.
Hornell is applying for a $20,000 engineering planning grant to update its Water Pollution Control Plant’s industrial pretreatment program, according to the Evening Tribune.
The Common Council approved a pair of resolutions connected to the state grant at a special meeting.
This includes a measure committing the city to a 20% match to the Department of Environmental Conservation-Environmental Facilities Corporation (DEC-EFC) funding. Another resolution said the engineering plan is a Type II action, so it does not require an extensive environmental review.
The deadline to submit the application is Feb. 12, 2021.
Hornell Mayor John Buckley, plant operator Rich Dunning and a LaBella Associates official outlined the challenges posed by industrial wastewater and the opportunities the grant could provide.
According to Buckley, there was a sludge buildup attributed to the Crowley Foods facility in Arkport. This buildup led to the city charging the company $5,000 for overages on its permit.
“We have had our share of struggles at the wastewater plant,” said Hornell Mayor John Buckley. “They are not the only heavy industrial user that we have to deal with. Part of what this grant would do is help identify what exactly is coming into the plant from these heavy users so we can better address these issues.”
Hornell currently monitors five industrial businesses, reported the Evening Tribune.
The city hired Lu Engineers to design an Industrial pretreatment program in 2011 and to recommend contaminant discharge limits for the then six industrial users.
The grant would allow the city to update its pretreatment program with changes including: changes if necessary to its list of significant industrial users; its capacity to remove priority contaminants; and its ability to issue proper wastewater discharge permits to industrial users.
The state is expected to announce the grant recipients in June or July 2021.
