Posted on January 13, 2025
WATERLOO — Evans Chemetics has asked for a permit to dredge about 2,500 cubic yards of accumulated sediment from the raceway on its 228 E. Main St. property.
The company has applied to the state Department of Environmental Conser vation under the Clean Water Act.
Evans officials want to drain the 850-foot-long raceway, which is fed by water from the nearby Cayuga-Seneca Canal, prior to the dredging. The extracted sediment will be dewatered and shipped off-site by a New Jersey contractor for disposal at a DEC-approved landfill, most likely Seneca Meadows Landfill in Seneca Falls.
Due to possible contaminants in the sediment, Evans has developed a handling plan to ensure proper management during and after dredging.
“I’ve been here 31 years, and this hasn’t been done in that time. Its probably been longer,” plant manager Steven Brusso said. “We use water in the raceway for cooling in our production process. A lot of silt and sediment in the water has come into the raceway over the years and settled to the bottom to the point where the raceway is only a foot deep in some places.”
The result, Brusso said, is reduced circulation in the raceway.
“We’re looking to dig out about 4 feet of sediment out of the raceway back to its original depth to assure we have enough water for cooling,” he explained.
Brusso said no contaminants have been found while testing the sediment. However, the DEC requires the handling plan because contaminants could be found.
Evans wants to begin the project the first week of October. The dredging will take about a week, during which time the plant would shut down. Once the dredging is complete, the raceway must be refilled with water before production resumes.
The project has been authorized by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation has determined that the proposed activity will have no impact on registered or eligible archeological sites or historic structures.
The permit application and related documents are available for public inspection during normal business hours at the DEC’s Region 8 office, 6274 East Avon-Lima Road, Avon. Thomas P. Haley is the contact person. His number is (585) 226-2466.
Public comments on the project must be submitted, in writing, to Haley no later than Sept. 22.
