The Onondaga County Water Authority is embarking on major water improvement projects to support the region’s growth and improve system reliability.
One of the projects is called the Clear Water Parallel Transmission Main, which begins at OCWA’s storage facility on Route 31 in Clay and extends nine miles northwest to the town of Schroeppel. Executive Director Jeff Brown said they’re starting with site observation.
“We're going to be doing some utility marking, some land surveying and staking, soil boring, archaeological surveying, and finally some brush clearing," he said.
Another project called the Eastern Branch Parallel Transmission Main extends five miles east along Route 31 from OCWA to Micron’s campus. Brown said it’ll provide critical infrastructure for Micron’s neighborhood.
“It's not just Micron," he said. "We are projecting other folks to come into the community, other businesses, but more importantly for existing customers, it provides critical redundancy. We are building a second line.”
He said the current 60-year-old lines are in good condition and could last decades longer. But Brown added that a second line ensures no one goes without water in case of a major break like the one last Christmas.
He said they’re sending letters to about 275 property owners directly affected by the projects, and another 100 or so who will see activity in the general area. Brown expects nearly all of the work to be done within their 100 foot easement.
“Folks might not know where the easement is on their property," he said. "We are encouraging them to look at their deeds and surveys, but if they don't have that available to them, we will send them a copy of the easement so they know exactly where the work is going to be done.”
Brown said there will be no impact on water service during the projects. The Eastern Branch main along Route 31 should be finished by November of next year, and the Clear Water main by late 2028.
Anyone with questions can email projects@ocwa.org or call 315-455-7061, Ext. 3159.
