While reasonable minds may differ with respect to today’s green movement, there is one inalienable truth – it is better to pollute less than pollute more. Town of Clay officials live by this maxim and are continuously looking for cost effective means to protect our local environment. There are countless ways in which the Town of Clay government strives to improve our local environment every day.
From taking advantage of grant funding opportunities and deploying solar technology, which reduces our carbon footprint and saves energy costs; to ensuring our facilities and fuel storage tanks are inspected regularly and comply with all environmental regulations; to setting aside hundreds of acres for our large parks and neighborhood green areas – the Town of Clay takes advantage of every opportunity to improve our environment – always balancing cost versus benefit.
We encourage our residents to continue to be proactive with recycling, anti-littering efforts and, if practical, taking advantage of green technologies which enhance the local environment for everyone. Together we can keep it green and keep it clean in the Town of Clay.
A Track Record of Success:
SOLAR TECHNOLOGY
The Town of Clay state of the art solar array project was started in 2013 and consists of 396 – 250 watt high efficiency solar panels installed on town property. The project was funded through a grant from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. It is estimated that every year, for at least the next 25 years, the clean, renewable energy generated by the system will offset the emission of roughly 45 metric tons of greenhouse gases. This is equivalent to more than 5,000 gallons of gasoline, 104 barrels of oil, or the carbon sequestered by planting 9.7 acres of pine forest.
The system saves Clay’s taxpayers money as well. It is estimated that the town’s energy consumption from traditional sources has decreased in excess of 18% and cost savings are estimated at 37%. This project has been a huge success and there are plans to apply for further grants and expand the solar system to other parts of the town. Excess energy from the current system, as well as any new energy generated from an expanded system, can be fed back into the grid directly reducing energy costs to taxpayers.
PROJECT GREEN COMMUNITY GARDENS
The Town of Clay established Project Green in 2011. Located on Black Creek Road, Project Green is a multi-phased project that is designed to encourage participation in sustainable gardening practices that improve soil, water, air and biodiversity. Any resident can reserve their own garden plot by contacting the Town of Clay Recreation Department. All water at the location is supplied by a solar powered pump.
The long range vision of Project Green is to create an agricultural educational facility which will be open to the public and have the added benefit of being a day program site for people with developmental disabilities. Research has shown that sustainable gardening practices have the potential to positively affect the environment by reducing the need for pesticides and fertilizers used in large scale farming, which find their way into our lakes and rivers through runoff. Carbon emissions into the environment are lessened by reducing the need to transport product long distances. Diverse plantings assist with reducing soil erosion.
POROUS PAVEMENT
The Town of Clay recently partnered with Onondaga County’s Department of Water Environment Protection to install a porous pavement green infrastructure project at Hummingbird Path and Indigo Path in the Bayberry subdivision. Storm water runoff during intense storm events sometimes finds its way into the sanitary sewer system in Bayberry because of older infrastructure constructed in the l 960’s when regulations were less demanding.
During an intense storm event the sanitary sewer can become overwhelmed with storm water runoff causing treatment of sewage to be diminished before being released into the ecosystem. The installation of porous pavement allows storm water runoff to infiltrate through the paving material and collect in the soil below instead of finding a tributary to the sanitary sewer. This project was funded through a County grant and is engineered to reduce storm water runoff by at least 1,000,000 gallons annually.
CLAY LANDFILL
The Town of Clay landfill was established in 1956 and operated by the town until 1975 as a municipal landfill accepting only residential waste. This was common practice for many municipalities during this time frame and Clay’s landfill operated within regulations. In 1975 the Onondaga County Solid Waste Disposal Authority (SWDA) began leasing the landfill from the Town of Clay and started accepting both residential and industrial waste. The landfill was closed in 1978 and it was subsequently discovered that industrial waste containing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB’s) were disposed of in the landfill by SWDA.
Following completion of environmental investigations, the Town entered into an environmental monitoring plan with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC). A low permeability synthetic cap was constructed over the landfill, approved by the NYSDEC, to keep water out in order to reduce leachate formation. Groundwater and surface water sampling wells were established at locations proximate to the landfill for the purpose of assessing water quality of the site and surrounding area. Funding for the remediation program was provided by State grants and cost recovery from Onondaga County.
While hindsight is always 20/20, the landfill closure and remediation program for the Clay landfill has been a smashing success. Since 2001 the Town has been granted permission to reduce monitoring from quarterly, to semi-annually, to once every five quarters. Inspections of the groundwater monitoring network, landfill cap system including the landfill gas vent system, vegetative cover, drainage swales, surface water retention ponds and perimeter gate have consistently met all regulations.
THREE RIVERS POINT
The Town of Clay began acquiring land in the Three Rivers area in the early 2000’s. This historically significant site is truly a hidden gem within our Town. Town of Clay officials had the foresight to start a long, arduous process of acquiring and remediating land where the Seneca, Oswego and Oneida rivers meet. It is part of our ongoing commitment to be good stewards of our local environment. Over $1 million has been invested- all from grants which required a modest local effort – in the Three Rivers Project.
Remediation efforts to date include: removal of a dilapidated motel and septic system at Three Rivers Point, removal of a shuttered asphalt plant and cleanup of the surrounding land, and various and ongoing environmental testing of all acquired land. The Town has acquired approximately 85 acres of land and is continuing work on remediating brownfields, deconstructing abandoned industrial sites and bringing sewers to the area.
LAND CONSERVATION
No other town in Onondaga County has more land set aside as forever green as the Town of Clay. The Town is home to 5 major parks totaling 280 acres. In addition, there are 27 neighborhood parks totaling 130 acres. Unique to our Town is the Clay Historical Park that boasts a log cabin museum, barn and welcome center.
All of our parks have been paid for with local dollars collected from developers. Decades ago, Town officials had the foresight to require a contribution from each developer doing business in the town to either contribute viable land for park purposes, or a monetary contribution into the Town’s parkland fund. These efforts have been key in establishing and developing our Town park system. The Town’s efforts also include the establishment of a more than 1600 acre wildlife preserve known as the Stanley J. Hamlin Marsh Wildlife Management area located off Henry Clay Boulevard acquired through a State environmental protection grant more than 40 years ago.
Town of Clay officials understand the need for green space in our town and consistently work to ensure we protect and extend our forever green areas in Clay. To continue our Town’s concern for conservation of our land, the Town has advanced a guide for future land use of approximately 9500 acres in the northern portion of Clay to protect future patterns of growth and to preserve the open land character in this part of town. By working together we can keep our town green and keep it clean into our future.