Water/Sewer
Honoco Water/Sewer Communications
CCWSA Doc – 
Features of the Proposed Honoco Road Water and Sewer System
CCWSA Doc – Honoco Sewer Final April 21, 2021
CCWSA Doc – Honoco Road Water - Final Full Report April 2021
CCWSA Doc – CCWSA/Ledyard Town Board Mtg. Aug 10, 2021
In order to to help keep you thoroughly informed and regularly updated on the program and progress, the Association, in agreement from the CCWSA (Cayuga County Water and Sewer Authority), has established a direct line of communication between you as individual owners and the CCWSA utilizing our honoco.org website as the communication link.
The Association will post relevant documents from the CCWSA on the website (click on the red CCWSA box title) and will continue to do so as new information is distributed at the request of CCWSA. We urge you to read these documents and assume that if you have questions regarding the reports or need to seek other information specific to your properties you can contact the CCWSA directly by utilizing the “Comments” box on this page. You will receive a response to your inquiry from the CCWSA on this website page.
Here is how we anticipate the communication process working. For those of you unfamiliar with our website, it is configured as a “blog” site, which means you can post any commentary on the site which can be read by anyone who accesses the site. Likewise, anyone can post a response to your comments which can similarly be read by anyone accessing the site. By accessing the site anyone can review all of the posted comments and add to the discussion as they see fit.
In the background of the posts is a feature we have set up on the website which sends an email to the website administrator(s) any time a comment is posted on the site. We have added the CCWSA to that administrator notification process. The CCWSA has agreed to review and post a response to any of these notifications. You simply need to access the site to review any responses to your comments and all of the additional commentary between our individual membership and the CCWSA project coordinators and respond to their posts if you have additional questions.
Here is how to access the specific area on the website we have set aside for these project communications:
- Go to honoco.org on your computer
- Click on the menu label “WATER/SEWER”
- As you scroll down this page you will see a list of red boxes labeled “CCWSA Doc-(title)”. Click on the box title to bring up the document.
- As you continue to scroll down you can review all of the prior comments and replies other members or he CCWSA have posted. You can add your own comments to any prior responses by clicking on the blue “Reply” under each comment and then click “Post Comment” at the end of the page.
- If you have a new question or comment you can simply enter your comment in the box at the bottom of the page under “Leave a Reply” and then click “Post Comment” at the end of the page.
Your comments/questions will be sent to the CCWSA and remain visible to anyone visiting this WATER/SEWER website page along with any CCWSA responses. You can remain Anonymous if you so choose. Hopefully this will provide everyone interested with a direct and unvarnished means of communicating with the project authority and a chance for everyone to see all of the questions and activity related to the project.
Water and Sewer Update from CCWSA April 28, 2022
The project continues to move forward primarily dealing with state reporting requirements which take time (and money).
1. CCWSA’s engineer is completing the evaluation of the Aurora wastewater plant in cooperation with the village and as required by the NY Dept of Environmental Conservation (DEC). The report will be submitted to DEC who will determine if improvements to the Aurora Plant will be required prior to connecting Honoco Road.
2. The SEQRA (environmental impact report) for the Regional Water Project which includes a water extension to Honoco Road has been prepared and distributed to potentially affected municipalities and agencies. Comments are being addressed by CCWSA’s engineering consultant. The SEQRA could be finalized by the end of next month if no challenges are received and the CCWSA board finds it acceptable.
3. The CCWSA is working with federal elected officials on obtaining funds from the large federal infrastructure bill passed by Congress. CCWSA has submitted the Honoco Road sewer and Regional Water Project for consideration.
Doug
Update from CCWSA –
1. The Sewer project scored 61 in the State Intended Use Plan for 2022. In its category it was number 19 so we believe there is a good chance of funding this year. However, the IUP funding is simply a loan at close to market rate, so we are continuing to pursue grants and other programs.
2. The Honoco Water project did not score well in the State Intended Use Plan. It is well below potential funding through this particular program. Like sewer this funding is also a loan and we will continue to seek grant funds.
3. The CCWSA Board of Directors has authorized an engineering contract to take a closer look at the Aurora Wastewater Plant to determine what near term and long term upgrades may be needed so that the plant can continue to meet its permit requirements with additional flow from Honoco Road. This work in in progress.
4. The CCWSA Board of Directors has also authorized the preparation of a State Environmental Quality Review Act report for the regional water project including the water pipeline on Honoco Road. This SEQRA report is required to be completed to receive funding from almost any state or federal funding program. This work is in progress.
5. Finally, we continue to await information about the how funds from the new federal infrastructure bill will be allocated and distributed. We are hopeful that these funds can be made available to help offset the cost of the Honoco water and sewer projects.
Doug,
Again, checking to see if you have heard anything further regarding the ranking of these projects in the 2021 Intended Use Plan (IUP).
Ken
Doug,
Checking to see if you have heard anything further regarding the ranking of these projects in the 2021 Intended Use Plan (IUP).
Ken
Amazing to see all the hard work this team has put into the road! The road is in the best shape ever. The past storms indicate the road is holding much better. Bring on water and sewer. This to me is a no brainer…… looking forward to internet being ran also.
I have a question regarding how this would work with winterizing. Many properties on the road don’t have a basement and it would seem that service laterals would have to be above the frost line and in some cases have to daylight to enter the building. It would seem like in those instances winterizing would have to include having the water shut off underground at the curb box/ gate valve. My concern is with the water that would remain in the line between the gate valve/ curb box and the actual building. It would seem like there would be a significant risk of freezing. Will the gate valves being installed be self draining? Also, where does the homeowners responsibility begin. It is it after the water meter? Thanks.
Given how much it now costs to have tanks pumped, and the benefits this will have for quality of life for all residents, this seems like a no brainer.
To Ken O’Neil Response to Funding Question.
Hi Ken,
1.The water and sewer preliminary engineering reports have been approved by the CCWSA Board of Directors and submitted to NYDEC and NY Dept of Health respectively, for inclusion in the upcoming 2021 Intended Use Plan (IUP). We have not heard back on the ranking of either project yet.
2. The CCWSA has a Financial Advisor who is actively pursuing funding opportunities for Honoco Road and other CCWSA water and sewer projects. Funding applications to the State for drinking water and clean water require being on the IUP. In addition, environmental compliance (SEQRA) and District formation are usually a prerequisite for most funding from the State. We also intend to seek funding from USDA Rural Development which has similar requirements and other federal sources which may have grants or favorable loan rates. We are hopeful that the infrastructure bill that was passed by the Senate yesterday will offer additional opportunities for grants to offset the cost of the projects.
Doug
To Ken O’Neil
1. I will provide the Appendices to Bob King to add to the website.
2. Good point. I wrote the summary to hit the high points of the reports and respond to a few questions that we’ve been asked that are not addressed in the reports.
3. I will get the Master Plan to Bob to add to the website. It’s a fairly large document and as you note was the starting point for the Honoco Sewer and Regional Water System projects. Thank you for your suggestions.
Doug
To Anonymous August 9 – Your comment is a good one. Last year CCWSA contacted New Visions, the company which plans to install cable for broadband along Honoco, to discuss whether there might be opportunities to locate water, sewer and new telecom lines in the same trench. Unfortunately, their schedule requires them to complete their work much earlier than our project. At this time I believe New Visions intends to add their cable to existing overhead lines. We have not contacted NYSEG about relocating existing power lines. Water and sewer lines are rarely in the same trench as distribution power lines for technical and operational reasons. Although burying power lines has significant aesthetic appeal it is also costly and if approved by NYSEG would most likely be a cost passed on to Honoco residents.
To Anonymous – August 9 Responsibility for maintenance of the road will not change. The CCWSA will ensure that the roadway is restored to its previous condition upon completion of the proposed project.
Doug Selby CCWSA
FUNDING QUESTION for CCWSA,
Re: PRE Report / Sanitary Sewer System Report
Within the last paragraph of the executive summary (pg.2) can you confirm that the authority has officially approved the report and found the project feasible. If so, has it been submitted to the NYSDEC for scoring and listing on the CWSRF Intended Use Plan.
At what point in the process will grant applications be submitted to CWSRF, WIIA, and WQIP to assist with project funding? Specifically, what other project milestones (i.e. municipal agreements, district formation, etc.) have to be met prior to making these grant submissions?
I’m sure many residents would like to have some reasonable idea as to how much monetary assistance may be available for a project of this nature. This knowing that none may be approved and that they ultimately would be responsible for the full project cost.
Thanks!
Ken O’Neil
Thanks for making these water and sewer documents available on the Honoco Association website.
I would like to make a few suggestions going forward;
1.) For all reports please include them in their entirety with all appendices and attachments. Both the preliminary water and preliminary sewer reports prepared by the MRB group are missing appendices referenced in the main report. If they were not originally provided, please ask the county to provide them or at least to provide an online link for easy reference.
2.) The document entitled “Features of the Proposed Honoco Road Water and Sewer System” does not have any reference to an author or date prepared. I assume it was prepared as a summary by Bob King for Honoco, Inc… Going forward for future reference please include this information for any documents posted to the association’s website.
3.) Also for background purposes I believe it makes sense to include a copy of the county’s “Regional Master Plan for the Efficient Delivery of Water and Sewer Services in Cayuga County” report prepared by Barton & Loguidice in January 2019. This is the document prepared for and approved by the authority which started this process.
Thanks!
Ken O’Neil
The improvements to health and safety are tremendous. We understand the costs; still seems entirely worthwhile and would be great.
Sign me up for water and sewer! Bring it!
It would be a shame to see the trenching completed for this project without the burying of the electrical service as well as the addition of a communications service.
Can NYSEG and a data provider be consulted to see if excavation costs can be supplemented? Or at the very least, these services be provided/buried at no additional cost?
This would also provide a major benefit to many homeowners and perhaps lessen the “blow” of the tax hike and water service charges. Additionally, the burial of the electrical would provide aN aesthetic improvement to the shoreline and lower NYSEG maintenance costs.
Who will maintain a the road if/when sewer gets put in? Road maintenance is a unique challenge to residents on Honoco. I would assume that water would also mean fire hydrants which would be a HUGE safety upgrade that comes along with this project.
Who will maintain a the road if/when sewer gets put in? Road maintenance is a unique challenge to residents on Honoco. Fire hydrants which would be a HUGE safety upgrade that comes along with this project.
See it!
Got it!