Photo by Jess Cherofsky.
Click here for STAMP Wastewater Treatment Pipeline flier
Say NO to the new STAMP Wastewater Treatment Pipeline!
Protect our local drinking water. Protect our local economies.
No dumping STAMP wastewater into Oak Orchard River
• GCEDC is currently proposing to build a pipeline that would transport at least 20,000 gallons per day of untreated sanitary wastewater from STAMP to the Village of Oakfield Municipal Treatment Facility
• The pipeline would pump raw sewage from STAMP uphill and under multiple waterways. To reach grade, this "force main" would require three separate pump stations along the route, each designed to collect raw sewage in a "wet well"
• The Oakfield facility is not designed to handle the planned volume or type of discharge long-term and currently lacks a valid permit
• Treated wastewater would be dumped into a tributary of Oak Orchard Creek, which flows into Lake Ontario via the Oak Orchard River (OOR)
• OOR is vital to Orleans County's $28 million annual sport fishing industry
• STAMP wastewater would water quality, erode stream banks, and disrupt fish habitats, jeopardizing recreational fishing and the broader tourism economy.
• While the pipeline is being designed and constructed - a process that will take years - GCEDC plans to hold raw sewage in tanks on the STAMP site and transport these sewage-filled tanks by truck to the Oakfield facility
• GCEDC plans to seek temporary and permanent easements from landowners who live along the pipeline route. These easements would give them permission to dig a 10 foot wide trench to install the pipeline thru front yards and ag fields
Historical Timeline of STAMP Wastewater Treatment Pipeline:
Read media coverage here:
Hochul, Schumer pressured regulators for permits for STAMP park : Investigative Post
Feds revoke major permit for STAMP industrial park
Tonawanda Senecas sue to halt pipeline
Feds shut down STAMP pipeline construction
Summary of the STAMP BODR Pipeline Review by Syracuse University Environmental Finance Center (full report link below):
"Upon review, the new pipeline proposed in the BODR raises several concerns that could impact public health and the environment. While the engineering design is reasonable given the constraints defined by GCEDC, the rationale behind some of these constraints is not fully explained. Primary concerns for the Village of Oakfield involve the municipality’s capacity to manage increased demands on their facility, from both a managerial and financial perspective. Another concern is the accuracy of expected flow levels, based on prior flow estimates provided by the applicant in its two previous BODRs, and the lack of provisions for planned future growth. A final concern regards design choices made for the pipeline that are more subject to jurisdictional and scheduling constraints than sound engineering principles, leading to an expensive and overcomplicated system. Additional information is included in the sections below."
Related documents
Basis of Design Report for the Village of Oakfield Wastewater Treatment Facility Proposed Connection of STAMP Force Main - by GCEDC
SEQR Update by GCEDC
STAMP Force Main Discharge Map by GCEDC
Map of the pipeline route by GCEDC
STAMP BODR Pipeline Review by Syracuse University Environmental Finance Center
Map of the pipeline route by Dr. Maddy Nyblade (hydrogeologist)
STAMP Outflow Path & Crossings GIS map
Letter to property owners along the route
Potential Impacts of the Gypsum Mine on STAMP
STAMP and Associated Development Hydrologic Impacts to Wetlands and Streams - MEMO
Memo on use of Horizontal Directional Drilling at STAMP
Letter from the Orleans County Dept of Tourism on Threats from the Proposed STAMP Wastewater Treatment Pipeline
FOILed documents of communications between the Village of Oakfield and GCEDC pertaining to the pipeline
Letters from NYSDEC to GCEDC regarding the Oakfield Pipeline
Say NO to the new STAMP Wastewater Treatment Pipeline!
Protect our local drinking water. Protect our local economies.
No dumping STAMP wastewater into Oak Orchard River
• GCEDC is currently proposing to build a pipeline that would transport at least 20,000 gallons per day of untreated sanitary wastewater from STAMP to the Village of Oakfield Municipal Treatment Facility
• The pipeline would pump raw sewage from STAMP uphill and under multiple waterways. To reach grade, this "force main" would require three separate pump stations along the route, each designed to collect raw sewage in a "wet well"
• The Oakfield facility is not designed to handle the planned volume or type of discharge long-term and currently lacks a valid permit
• Treated wastewater would be dumped into a tributary of Oak Orchard Creek, which flows into Lake Ontario via the Oak Orchard River (OOR)
• OOR is vital to Orleans County's $28 million annual sport fishing industry
• STAMP wastewater would water quality, erode stream banks, and disrupt fish habitats, jeopardizing recreational fishing and the broader tourism economy.
• While the pipeline is being designed and constructed - a process that will take years - GCEDC plans to hold raw sewage in tanks on the STAMP site and transport these sewage-filled tanks by truck to the Oakfield facility
• GCEDC plans to seek temporary and permanent easements from landowners who live along the pipeline route. These easements would give them permission to dig a 10 foot wide trench to install the pipeline thru front yards and ag fields
Historical Timeline of STAMP Wastewater Treatment Pipeline:
- Initially, GCEDC planned to build a 6 million gallon / day pipeline from the STAMP site up Route 63, through the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, with a discharge point into the Oak Orchard River in Orleans County
- July 2023: Pipeline construction begins. Orleans County sues Genesee Countyover eminent domain and wastewater dumping in Oak Orchard River.
- August - September 2023: Construction results in spills of 500-700 gallons of hydraulic drilling fluid into Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge wetlands
- Oct 2023: Hazardous materials are found in remediated soils. GCEDC fails to contain wastewater or remediate and are fined by NYS Dept of Conservation
- Nov 2023: Tonawanda Seneca Nation sues US Fish and Wildlife Service for violation of national environmental statutes AND failure to consult
- June 2024: USFWS revokes permit for right of way thru Refuge, litigation settled.
Read media coverage here:
Hochul, Schumer pressured regulators for permits for STAMP park : Investigative Post
Feds revoke major permit for STAMP industrial park
Tonawanda Senecas sue to halt pipeline
Feds shut down STAMP pipeline construction
Summary of the STAMP BODR Pipeline Review by Syracuse University Environmental Finance Center (full report link below):
"Upon review, the new pipeline proposed in the BODR raises several concerns that could impact public health and the environment. While the engineering design is reasonable given the constraints defined by GCEDC, the rationale behind some of these constraints is not fully explained. Primary concerns for the Village of Oakfield involve the municipality’s capacity to manage increased demands on their facility, from both a managerial and financial perspective. Another concern is the accuracy of expected flow levels, based on prior flow estimates provided by the applicant in its two previous BODRs, and the lack of provisions for planned future growth. A final concern regards design choices made for the pipeline that are more subject to jurisdictional and scheduling constraints than sound engineering principles, leading to an expensive and overcomplicated system. Additional information is included in the sections below."
Related documents
Basis of Design Report for the Village of Oakfield Wastewater Treatment Facility Proposed Connection of STAMP Force Main - by GCEDC
SEQR Update by GCEDC
STAMP Force Main Discharge Map by GCEDC
Map of the pipeline route by GCEDC
STAMP BODR Pipeline Review by Syracuse University Environmental Finance Center
Map of the pipeline route by Dr. Maddy Nyblade (hydrogeologist)
STAMP Outflow Path & Crossings GIS map
Letter to property owners along the route
Potential Impacts of the Gypsum Mine on STAMP
STAMP and Associated Development Hydrologic Impacts to Wetlands and Streams - MEMO
Memo on use of Horizontal Directional Drilling at STAMP
Letter from the Orleans County Dept of Tourism on Threats from the Proposed STAMP Wastewater Treatment Pipeline
FOILed documents of communications between the Village of Oakfield and GCEDC pertaining to the pipeline
Letters from NYSDEC to GCEDC regarding the Oakfield Pipeline
