The treatment plant, which officials initially had worried about after the record rain Thursday, continues to operate.
Flooding of the Salmon River in Oswego County washed out a concrete retaining wall and banks along the river in Pulaski.Pulaski, NY -- A state of emergency remains in effect in Pulaski where the Salmon River swollen by heavy rains washed away a retaining wall near the Route 11 bridge threatening a pumping station for the village’s sewage treatment plant.
Crews worked this morning dumping boulders to stop the wall’s erosion completing a job begun yesterday, said Mayor Ernest Wheeler. The work was expected to be completed at noon and the bank appears to be holding, he said.
The treatment plant is still working, Wheeler said, adding “we can flush toilets.”
Officials had worried yesterday that the bank would wash away, compromising the pumping station and possibly sending 1.2 million gallons of raw sewage a day into the river.
Wheeler said he wants to make sure the stones and fill are taking care of the erosion before lifting the state of emergency. The order could be lifted as early as Sunday, but it could stretch into Monday or Tuesday, the mayor said.
The stones are a temporary fix allowing the village to get a price for the repair and possible state or federal funding to pay for the work, he said.
Wheeler said he’s hopeful that the governor will declare the funding a disaster, making the cost of the repairs eligible for state and federal funding.
A record 2.66 inches of rain was recorded Thursday at Syracuse Hancock International Airport. The previous record for Sept. 30 was 0.82 inches, set in 1950.