Town of Ballston

TOWN OF BALLSTON

BALLSTON LAKE SEWER DISTRICT

MAP, PLAN, AND REPORT

Prepared for:

The Town of Ballston 323 Charlton Road Ballston Spa, New York 12020

Prepared By: DELAWARE ENGINEERING, D.P.C. 28 Madison Avenue Extension Albany, New York 12203

June 2015 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Delaware Engineering, D.P.C. 2 APPENDICES

Appendix A

Proposed Sewer District Map

Proposed Sewer District Parcels and Equivalent Dwelling Unit Assignment

Appendix B

Current SCSD District Map

Current SCSD Rates

Appendix C

Projected Cost Estimates

Appendix D

Financing Scenarios

Appendix E

Intermunicipal Agreement

Appendix F

Maintenance Agreement

Delaware Engineering, D.P.C. 3 1.0 INTRODUCTION

The Town of Ballston has been exploring the feasibility of a sewer system in the Town with a particular focus on Ballston Lake, Main Street and Buell Heights for several years. Several engineering studies have been completed in the past to evaluate the feasibility of constructing sanitary sewers within the Town and the environmental benefits of public sewers are well documented. Failing septic systems and decreasing water quality in Ballston Lake have created significant support for the construction of public sewers.

As a result of the continued decline in water quality, Ballston Lake was added to New York State’s Priority Water Bodies List in 2012 as an Impaired Water body. This listing defines a water body as one that cannot support appropriate uses and requires the development of a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) threshold or other restoration strategies.

As part of a solution to mitigate the impacts to Ballston Lake, the Town of Ballston proposes to form a sewer district and construct a sewer collection system for parcels adjacent to the lake, along Main Street and in the residential subdivision, Buell Heights. (Appendix A)

The proposed sewer district described herein will connect the proposed sewer collection system to the existing Saratoga County Sewer District #1 (SCSD) wastewater treatment system. The entire area targeted for sewer service is already encompassed with the SCSD (Appendix B). The proposed sewer district is defined by the lands contained in the tax parcels listed and described in table format and as shown in Figure 1, both presented in Appendix A. This Map, Plan and Report presents the information necessary for the Town to create this sewer district in accordance with Town Law, Article 12-A, Section 209-c of the New York State Consolidated Laws.

Delaware Engineering, D.P.C. 4 A number of the properties that border the lake on the south east side are within the Town of Clifton Park. Appendix A incorporates a map showing the proposed sewer service area with the boundaries of each Town indicated.

Because the data regarding the degradation of water quality in the lake and the lake’s listing by the NYSDEC as an Impaired Waterbody provide a strong indication that there is great environmental value to providing sewer collection to all properties along the lake, notwithstanding municipal boundaries, there is significant documented support for a sewer project in Clifton Park by the affected property owners.

The Town of Ballston has worked closely with the Town of Clifton Park such that the two communities have proceeded on parallel tracks to adopt Map, Plan and Reports for the formation of respective sewer districts and have executed an Intermunicipal Agreement outlining the responsibilities of the respective districts relative to financing, ownership, and district operations. The Intermunicipal Agreement is provided in Appendix E.

2.0 PROPOSED DISTRICT

The proposed sewer district includes parcels around the lake on the east side from East Side Drive and Schauber Road to Lake Road at Stonebridge Drive. On the west side of the lake, it includes Westside Drive from Main Street, Glenridge Road, Whites Beach Road, Powers Lane and Outlet Road to a connection point on Lake Road. Also included in the proposed sewer district are several private roads along the lake as described and presented in Appendix A.

A low pressure sewer system is proposed for the lake area. The collection system will include construction of approximately one mile of sewer main from approximately the intersection of Lake Road at Stonebridge Drive to direct wastewater to the SCSD’s existing wastewater collection system and sewer interceptor in the vicinity of Shenentaha Park and ultimately to the SCSD’s existing wastewater treatment facility.

Delaware Engineering, D.P.C. 5 The proposed sewer district also includes the Buell Heights residential subdivision and Main Street in the Hamlet of Ballston Lake. Sewers in these areas are anticipated to be conventional gravity-type with a new pump station located on or near Main Street in proximity to the stream (“the Main Street Pump Station”). The pump station will discharge to the proposed low pressure sewers on West Side Drive with a connection point as stated above. Flow will be directed to a new sewer main with connection to the existing SCSD collection system and ultimately will be directed to the SCSD’s existing wastewater treatment facility.

3.0 GENERAL PLAN OF IMPROVEMENTS

Properties within the proposed sewer district are largely residential with some restaurants, office buildings and light manufacturing. There are approximately 480 parcels around the lake contributing approximately 450 equivalent dwelling units (EDU’s). There are approximately 270 parcels in Buell Heights and along Main Street contributing 221 EDU’s.

Flow projections in part are based on drinking water usage rates obtained from the Town Water Department. The average water usage by single family homes is approximated at 200 gallons per day (gpd). Larger users, such as multifamily residences and restaurants have been estimated based on multiples of EDUs. For example, a restaurant producing an average daily flow of 600 gpd of wastewater would produce the same amount of wastewater as three single family homes, and as a result, represents three EDUs. The proposed collection system consists of 595 occupied EDUs and is equivalent to a daily average wastewater flow of approximately 119,000 gpd.

Regulatory standards require an evaluation of reasonable growth to ensure that infrastructure is not significantly over or under capacity when constructed or within the useful life of the facilities. As a general rule, a twenty-year planning period is utilized in consideration of the design of wastewater infrastructure. When assessing twenty year growth projections, growth rate assignment was limited to 0.5% per year since the area within the proposed sewer district consists primarily of existing residential subdivisions with minimal undeveloped area and limited potential for economic development. Projecting for additional growth through

Delaware Engineering, D.P.C. 6 development of currently vacant properties, the Town collection system could consist of 742 EDUs and this is equivalent to a daily average wastewater flow of approximately 148,400 gpd.

The Town of Ballston will adopt a Sewer Use Law prior to the completion of the sewer system that will govern the use of the public sewers. It is expected that the Sewer Use Law will mandate connection of all structures, existing or future, to the sewer system. The Sewer Use Law will also incorporate a procedure with timeframes for the connection of existing residences to the system. It is also expected that the Sewer Use Law will incorporate a procedure for property owners to request a delay in the mandate to connect to the sewer system under specified circumstances which may include extreme hardship or documentation that an engineered, fully functional septic system exists on the property. Furthermore, it is expected that the Sewer Use Law will require that regardless of whether a property is connected to the sewer system, if the property is benefitted by the provision of the sewer system, the property will fund a portion of the debt service of the system. Charges for the conveyance and treatment of wastewater are only assessed against connected parcels.

4.0 DESCRIPTION OF FACILITIES - PROPOSED COLLECTION SYSTEM

Approximately 50,000 linear feet of force main along Ballston Lake and approximately 14,000 linear feet of gravity sewer in Buell Heights and along Main Street is proposed. The collection system would also include installation of a pump station located on Main Street that will pump wastewater along the west side of the lake northward to a point of connection with the existing SCSD sewer collection and conveyance system. The collection system will include construction of approximately one mile of sewer main from approximately the intersection of Lake Road at Stonebridge Drive to direct wastewater to the SCSD’s existing wastewater collection system and sewer interceptor in the vicinity of Shenentaha Park and ultimately to the SCSD’s existing wastewater treatment facility. The properties along the lake would utilize a low pressure force main and would require each service connection to be equipped with a grinder pump station. Consistent with SCSD policy, it

Delaware Engineering, D.P.C. 7 is anticipated that the cost of the grinder pump station, along with operation and maintenance of the station will be the responsibility of the property owner.

Sewers in the Buell Heights residential subdivision and along Main Street are anticipated to be conventional gravity-type. Wastewater collected in these areas would flow by gravity to a new pump station located on or near Main Street in proximity to the stream. The pump station will discharge to the proposed low pressure sewers on West Side Drive and will pump wastewater northward to the point of interconnection with the SCSD collection and conveyance system. The grinder pumps at each structure around the lake will force wastewater into the low pressure sewer system northward to the point of interconnection with the SCSD collection and conveyance system.

5.0 PROPOSED DISTRICT OPERATIONS

The Town of Ballston is located within the Saratoga County Sewer District No. 1 (SCSD) which allows the SCSD to accept and treat wastewater from the proposed Town collection system. Similarly, the Town of Clifton Park is also located within the SCSD. An SCSD district map is included in Appendix B to this report.

Treatment of wastewater as well as operation and maintenance of the sewer system will be conducted by SCSD. A charge shall be assessed to each connected property within the proposed District to pay the SCSD for the treatment of wastewater. Appendix B provides information regarding the current SCSD sewer rate and Appendix F incorporates a Maintenance Agreement with the SCSD No. 1.

While the SCSD will operate and maintain the sewer system including the Main Street Pump Station, the Town of Ballston will pay for consumables at the pump station including electricity, chemicals for odor control, if used, and a contract for remote monitoring of the pump station operations. Pump station consumables are estimated to cost $19,000 in the first year of operation.

Delaware Engineering, D.P.C. 8 The respective collection system infrastructure in the proposed sewer district will be financed by the issuance of debt by the Town. SCSD policy does not permit the SCSD to accept dedication of infrastructure for which there is outstanding debt. Therefore, the Town of Ballston shall own the sewer collection system until such time as the system is debt-free. At that time, the collection system may be dedicated to the SCSD. The Town will levy benefit assessments upon all properties within the sewer district, the revenue from which shall fund debt repayment.

In the case of Clifton Park, the Town of Ballston shall provide a schedule of debt payments not less than annually to the Town of Clifton Park. The Town of Clifton Park shall levy benefit assessments upon properties within the sewer district and remit payment in accordance with the debt schedule to the Town of Ballston. The Town of Ballston shall then have revenue from Clifton Park that in combination shall fund the repayment of debt service. The Intermunicipal Agreement outlines these responsibilities and is presented in Appendix E.

The Town of Ballston will adopt a Sewer Use Law, all properties whether existing or future located within a set distance of the completed sewer main will be required to connect to the system. Existing residences as of the date of completion and certification of the installed sewer main will be required to connect to the sewer system in a timely manner that will be defined in the Town’s Sewer Use Law.

6.0 REGULATORY REVIEW AND APPROVAL REQUIRED PRIOR TO CONSTRUCTION

Design and construction of the proposed sewer system will be performed in conformance with Recommended Standards for Wastewater Facilities - Great Lakes Upper Mississippi River Board of State Public Health & Environmental Managers, dated 2014 and commonly referred to as the Ten States Standards, and applicable NYSDEC Design Standards.

With respect to the State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) process, a coordinated review with all interested and involved agencies may be required. Additional site-specific standards

Delaware Engineering, D.P.C. 9 such as those specified and recommended by agencies including, but not limited to the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, US Army Corps of Engineers, NYS Department of Health, Saratoga County Highway Department and the SCSD will be utilized as applicable. Regulatory review and approval will be obtained prior to the initiation of construction.

7.0 MAXIMUM AMOUNT TO BE EXPENDED

Preliminary construction costs, including all material, labor, engineering, legal, and administration costs for the proposed collection system have been estimated to be approximately $10,100,000. A cost estimate is provided in Table 2. This cost includes the cost of constructing the portion of the sewer system within the Town of Clifton Park as well as the sewer system in the Town of Ballston.

The maximum amount to be expended is $10,100,000.

8.0 COST OF HOOK-UP FEES

The Town of Ballston will charge of hook-up fee of $200 or less. SCSD Inspection Fee? This fee will fund the administration and inspection of new connections to the sewer system. The cost of plumbing connections to the sewer main and individual homeowner grinder pump station installation, where necessary, shall be borne by each property owner individually. It is estimated that the cost of the plumbing connection from the structure to the sewer main may range from $2,500 to $10,000 or more depending on whether a grinder pump is required and the distance of the structure to the sewer main.

9.0 DETAILED EXPLANATION OF COSTS

The proposed costs to the typical user are based on a share of debt service by the property owners in the proposed sewer district and operations and maintenance (O&M) of the sewer district by the SCSD. Debt service and operations and maintenance are to be charged on a benefit basis.

Delaware Engineering, D.P.C. 10 Debt Service Cost Debt service shall be paid by the owners of all existing properties in the proposed sewer district, including those which are currently vacant under certain conditions, unoccupied or undeveloped, and shall be paid by property owners to the Town of Ballston. For purposes of debt service calculation for this Map Plan and Report, all developed residential properties have been allocated a minimum of 1 EDU. Vacant properties have been assigned EDUs in general conformance with the applicable zoning. Vacant lots that meet or exceed the minimum lot size for residential building in each respective zone will be charged 1 EDU. Vacant lots greater than 0.5 acres but less than the minimum lot size for each respective zone will be charged 0.5 EDU.

In the event that these vacant properties are developed, they will be reallocated debt service EDUs based on water usage or number of units developed (but shall not be allocated less than 1 EDU). There are 641 EDUs for the purposes of debt service calculations considering both Ballston and Clifton Park benefitted parcels.

If the Town were to borrow $10,100,000 for 30 years at a 1.84% interest rate, the resulting annual debt payment, including both principal and interest, would be approximately $441,104. Dividing the annual debt repayment cost of the project by the number of debt service EDUs results in an annual debt service charge of approximately $688/EDU.

Operation and Maintenance Costs

O&M of the proposed sewer system is anticipated to be a combination of property owner responsibility and SCSD responsibility. In accordance with existing SCSD policies, the maintenance and operation of grinder pump stations and service lines installed to connect to the low pressure sewers will be the responsibility of the property owner. Sewer lines and pump stations that serve the public in general would be operated and maintained by the SCSD. The

Delaware Engineering, D.P.C. 11 SCSD charges an annual user fee to cover O&M of the system and the treatment fee is currently set at $190 per year per EDU.

In addition, the Town of Ballston will distribute the cost of consumables to operate the Main Street Pump Station on benefit basis among all parcels in the proposed district. With an estimated annual cost of $19,000 in the first year of operations and 595 occupied parcels in the district, the annual per EDU cost for the Main Street Pump Station is $32.

A list of all the properties in the proposed sewer district and their assigned EDUs is provided in Appendix A. Appendix B incorporates a copy of the current SCSD No. 1 sewer rates to which the SCSD has advised a $10 annual increase may be expected in the next year. Appendix F provides a copy of the Maintenance Agreement.

10.0COST TO THE TYPICAL PROPERTY

As discussed above, the total annual sewer use rate will be composed of the debt service for the capital construction cost of the collection system and the O&M of the system itself as charged by the Town of Ballston and the SCSD for the acceptance and treatment of wastewater received from the Town.

For the single family residences (the most common property use within the proposed district) with average water usage rates equivalent to 1 EDU (200 gpd), the annual service charges are as follows:

Debt Service Costs $688 Pump Station O&M $32 SCSD O&M Costs $190 Annual User Cost $910

Delaware Engineering, D.P.C. 12 11.0METHOD OF FINANCE

The Town intends to issue bonds to the NYS Environmental Facilities Corporation and secure project financing through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) program.

The cost to the typical property owner incorporated in Section 10.0 of this report is based on subsidized borrowing through the CWSRF program with an interest rate of 1.84% for a term of 30 years. The Town of Ballston is currently listed on the Federal Fiscal Year 2015 CWSRF Intended Use Plan Multi Year list in Category A with a score exceeding the ‘Subsidy Line’ for the Category A Annual List (See Appendix D).

The Town intends to form the Sewer District with the approval of the Office of the State Comptroller and adopt a Bond Resolution which will allow the issuance of a Bond Anticipation Note that will fund detailed engineering, surveying, studies and legal costs. An application will be submitted to the Environmental Facilities Corporation for the purpose of eligibility determination and moving the project towards financing. Taking into consideration the projected O&M and treatment costs, the total cost to the typical user is $910 with subsidized financing.

12.0STATEMENT AS TO BENEFIT ASSESSMENT

As required by Article 12-A of the Town Law, the costs associated with debt service and operation and maintenance of the Town Sewer District will be charged on a benefit basis.

Delaware Engineering, D.P.C. 13 APPENDIX A

Proposed Sewer District Map Proposed Sewer District Parcels and Benefit Unit Assignment APPENDIX B

Current SCSD District Map Current SCSD Rates APPENDIX C

Projected Cost Estimates APPENDIX D

Financing Scenarios