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"Save the Rain" Proposals Tabled...For Now

Save the Rain Westcott
Save the Rain

Onondaga County lawmakers are holding off for now on funding any new “Save the Rain” projects.  The Ways and Means Committee met today to discuss plans for $2 million worth of ‘installation and infiltration’ projects—or INI’s—to manage rainfall in suburban communities. 

Legislator Casey Jordan says the projects sound promising, but he wants to know what it will cost the County to collect each gallon of rainwater.

 

 

“Frankly, I don’t know why in the world we would not have that information. It seems to me that you should be able to give that information to me tomorrow, because that should be information we already have on hand.  I mean, we’ve had this discussion before: Let’s get the best bang for our buck. From my standpoint, it’s hard for me to say whether this would be a good project or bad project, compared to something else, without that information.”

WATER ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION COMMISSIONER TOM RHOADS:

“I don’t think that weighing them based upon their gallons of capture is going to significantly change that equation.”

 

INI-RHOADS.mp3

“The information that we received from the towns, it just doesn’t really evolve to the level that we can, I think, make that kind of very heavy-duty analysis. I understand what you’re looking for – I think we’d be kind of throwing darts at it.”

Rhoads says his Department will look through all of the town engineering reports to get Casey Jordan the information he wants. The next Ways and Means meeting is in September.

Scott Willis covers politics, local government, transportation, and arts and culture for WAER. He came to Syracuse from Detroit in 2001, where he began his career in radio as an intern and freelance reporter. Scott is honored and privileged to bring the day’s news and in-depth feature reporting to WAER’s dedicated and generous listeners. You can find him on twitter @swillisWAER and email him at srwillis@syr.edu.