Annual report for 2002

Commissioner Elander

2002 was one of the busiest years in the history of this Department, in so far as initiation and completion of a variety of projects is concerned. In addition to the Amended Consent Judgement mandated projects, the level of activity with improvements of other Department facilities was at an all time high. It has been necessary to actually curtail some of the newer activity to allow the available staff to catch up. It is important to remember the same staff, in some cases reduced in numbers, is charged with maintaining the high level of service to the Consolidated Sanitary District customers, regardless of the changes ongoing to the Department facilities.

The following information presents, in some detail, many of the activities on-going in 2002 and some of those anticipated as goals for 2003. A few of these activities include:

Together with Mr. Pirro, the Department presented awards in December 2002, to several of our staff members who provided exceptional service to other members of the staff and the community, at our 10th annual Employee Recognition Awards Ceremony.
The Department lost 12 individuals to the recently implemented Onondaga County Early Retirement Program. Their experience and friendship will be greatly missed. The early retirees were honored at the annual awards presentation.
The SCADA Systems Project, which was completed in 2001, was fully utilized during 2002. The savings anticipated to be provided through the use of the SCADA System, both in terms of operations efficiencies and cost savings, have started to be realized.
The Department continued to capably treat over 30 billion gallons of wastewater during 2002. The number of violations recorded and reported to the NYS DEC were somewhat increased over the previous year; however, much of that was the result of differences in reporting procedures required by the DEC. Actually operating results were a decrease in violations, with the exception of those periods of extremely high wet weather, such as that which occurred in the Spring of 2002.
Most of the Amended Consent Judgement (ACJ) construction projects were completed by the end of 2002. The several exceptions to this are the large CSO facilities which have been the subject of facilities plans and a significant amount of discussion throughout the community. The largest ACJ project is the Ammonia/Phosphorus Removal Project at Metro, for which the construction is well underway. That project is anticipated to be complete by the end of 2003.
The Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS), along with the Computerized Operation & Maintenance Manual, Inventory Control System and Geographic Information System was implemented in 2002. Many of the start-up issues have been addressed and resolved. The results of the implementation of that project are beginning to be realized throughout the Department
It is noted in Chapter 11 of the Annual Report, that all of the Biosolids generated by the Department in 2002 have been processed through the N-Viro™ Soil System, such that none of the material was disposed of by landfill. This is the first time all the material has been able to be a beneficial re-use project, an accomplishment for which all involved should be very proud.
The Pollution Prevention Program was again a major point of focus in 2002. The Mercury Awareness Program, as well as notification to the general public and particularly the medical industry in the greater Syracuse area, should result in significant reductions in the quantity of mercury and silver in the waste streams.
A major accomplishment in 2002 was the decision to purchase a building on Henry Clay Blvd., which will become the headquarters of a new Environmental Laboratory, as well as the Consolidated Flow Control Facilities Operation. Design has begun, with relocation to that facility expected by the Fall of 2003.
Construction projects related to eliminating outdated wastewater treatment facilities at Harbor Heights in Baldwinsville and at the Jamesville Penitentiary, were initiated in 2002. By the end of 2003 those facilities will be replaced by pumping stations and discharge force mains and sewers, to other existing treatment facilities.
The design of the Wetzel Road Wastewater Treatment Plant and Sawmill Pump Station upgrades is well underway. Construction of those upgrades is expected to be initiated by mid-2003.
Training throughout the Department continues to be an extremely high priority item. One of the results of the training, aside from the increased efficiencies and benefit to our service customers and cost savings to the County, is the continued reduction in the number of reportable injuries/illnesses, as that trend continued to decline for a fourteenth consecutive year.

In 2002, the Department's name and logo were officially changed from the Department of Drainage and Sanitation to the Onondaga County Department of Water Environment Protection. As stated elsewhere in this report, the perception of the Department name change has been overwhelmingly supported by the staff and the community.

In 2002, with the impending early retirement program discussed earlier, a reorganization plan for the Department was discussed and tentatively approved, for submittal to the County Legislature for final approval. That reorganization will provide a more appropriate management hierarchy within the Department.

The Computer Management Division was able to develop an internal accounting and tracking system which allows all of the Division Managers within the Department to more closely account for personnel, equipment and supply expenditures than was available in the past. We are finally able to associate costs in comparison to budgeted items, which will allow future development of budgets in a more accurate manner and provide an excellent management tool for monitoring the Department's assets.

In working with the Onondaga Lake Partnership, the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) issue has become much more critical. Information available to that system will allow others outside the Department and the staff within to monitor activities on a daily basis, which was not previously available. The tracking system for the sewer system, which we are responsible to maintain, will allow historical recollection of troublesome areas and virtually instant identification of locations and issues related to the system.

It can be seen from the activity continued and initiated in 2002, that the level of operation of this Department is very high. We must be very careful, however, that the services to our customers do not suffer while we attempt to improve the County assets and our overall facilities. There is a fine balance between those two issues and the staff has demonstrated extraordinary capabilities in being able to maintain that balance.

We continue to be extremely proud of the staff, particularly during these difficult economic times when staff levels are necessarily maintained at lower than desirable levels. Constant adjustments in daily work activities are necessary to minimize the effect on services generated by this Department. This is particularly true in regards to those services which directly affect the public. A particular concern is the availability of staffing and monies necessary for preventive maintenance activities on all of the Department's equipment. It is much more costly to repair equipment than it is to provide the maintenance required to keep equipment running without major repairs.

We continue to look forward to further developments during 2003. The Department will strive to continue to operate in a manner in which the County Administration, as well as the general public, feels appropriate, while recognizing the economic limits of the current situation.

Respectfully,

Richard L. Elander, PE
Commissioner

Contents of the Annual Report

Chapter 1: Legislative Resolutions
Chapter 2: Public Relation, Awards and Affiliations
Chapter 3: Lake Improvement Project
Chapter 4: Personnel
Chapter 5: Fiscal
Chapter 6: Construction
Chapter 7: Fleet Management
Chapter 8: Training and Safety
Chapter 9: Flow Control
Chapter 10: Facilities Operations
Chapter 11: Biosolids
Chapter 12: Facilities Maintenance
Chapter 13: Instrumentation and Electrical Maintenance
Chapter 14: Computer Management
Chapter 15: Engineering and Laboratory Services