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Caught on video: Is it OK to dump snow in the water?
Honeoye Falls crews use a front loader to dump some of it in the creek. (Jan 13, 2017) Virginia Butler
After a foot or more of snow fell on Honeoye Falls last weekend, village workers fired up the heavy equipment to clear the streets and sidewalks.
They plowed and pushed and piled the snow, and when there was no room to pile more, they dumped it off the East Street bridge into Honeoye Creek.
The Democrat and Chronicle's Virginia Butler happened upon the scene and shot a video, which was posted on the Democrat and Chronicle Facebook page as a slice of life in the aftermath of the big snow.
But a string of perturbed comments soon appeared under the video from readers who thought it was inappropriate to dump snow in the creek, or perhaps even a violation of environmental law.
As it happens, there are brand-new state guidelines to cover this practice. Compliance is voluntary.
Was the village complying? Most likely, but it's a judgment call.
The Department of Environmental Conservation issued its first-ever guidelines for snow disposal last July, in recognition of the fact that more and more municipalities and private contractors were using waterways to dispose of excess snow.
The guidelines say that disposal of excess snow in a creek or river should never be the first choice but it is allowable under some circumstances.
The issue? Snow collected from streets, sidewalks and parking lots can contain road salt and sand, oil and grease, undesirable particulates, animal feces, litter and various other things that nobody wants floating in the current.
In reality, contaminants in snow often wind up in local waterways even if they're not dumped there by a front-loader. Melting snow carries salt and other pollutants into creeks, either through direct run-off or via storm sewers and drainage ditches.
The DEC guidelines say the first and best option is to place excess snow in pre-selected upland storage areas located well away from the water.
Yes, that snow will melt too, and contaminants mingled with it may eventually reach ground water or creeks. But they will be released over time, and some will be retained on the surface and soil below. That should lessen the loading of undesirable materials into flowing waters.
The DEC recommends the areas have fences or gravel berms to slow runoff and collect debris, and that they be policed to collect unwanted materials after the snow melts.
It's only when all available upland storage areas are full or not available at all that the DEC guidelines say it's acceptable to dump snow into a creek or river.
But even then, "heavily contaminated snow" cannot be placed in waterways.
The guidelines say this is snow from:
- Downtown or dense commercial/industrial areas where the snowpack has been sitting for more than seven days.
- Areas that are heavily salted or sanded.
- Areas of heavy litter and debris.
- Areas that have experienced pavement separation and breakage.
- Areas where the snow appears dirty or discolored.
And snow can't be dumped upstream of drinking-water intakes, into trout streams or wetlands, or anywhere it could cause damming or water-quality impairment.
DEC officials acknowledge the guidelines aren't easily enforced, as there is no state law that covers snow disposal. There are laws that bar any activity that would damage water quality or ruin a trout stream.
They are relying on municipal officials and others to do the right thing.
For decades, extreme snowfalls prompted the city of Rochester to remove part of the railing on the Court Street bridge and dump snow into the Genesee River. At times, hundreds of tons would go over the side.
More recently, the city has taken to piling excess snow in unused parking lots or other open spaces — the sort of upland areas envisioned by the guidelines.
Disposal sites off the Smith and Court street bridges remain in place, though officials say the city has not dumped any snow in the Genesee this year.
Public-works officials in Honeoye Falls did not return a call for comment Friday.