Combined Sewage Overflow

Combined Sewage Overflow

Introduction

The primary function of a storm sewage overflow is to limit the flow to the sewer downstream and to the treatment works, for economic reasons. Given the economic necessity to overflow storm sewage, the overflow chamber has the equally important function of controlling the polluting load which the overflowed storm sewage carries to the watercourse.The Mohawk River has long been a driving force in shaping the natural environment and the life of communities throughout the Mohawk River Valley. For centuries people have flocked to the valley to capitalize on its fertile flood plain soils, its historic fisheries, and its transportation opportunities. There are several major tributaries to the Mohawk which constitute a substantial number of river miles within the basin. While the rich cultural history of the Mohawk River is widely celebrated, the basin's natural history is under-studied and, perhaps with the exception of its warm water fishery, under-appreciated. With the wealth of natural resources present in New York, like the Great Lakes, the Adirondacks, the Catskills, and the Hudson River Estuary to name a few, the Mohawk is often over-shadowed and dismissed as an industrial river. But the Mohawk is worthy to be counted among New York's premier natural treasures.

The Mohawk connects the western watersheds of the Great Lakes and the Hudson River in the eastern part of the state, and branches of its tributaries drain part of the Catskills and the Adirondacks. All of these connections make the Mohawk River a transition between ecosystems adding to its biological diversity and unique character. (MVHCC. Pp. 56-59)

These connections are not without their challenges, and understanding the ecology of the Mohawk River and its surrounding watershed is a complicated task. The Erie/Barge Canal has been a significant pathway for invasive species, like zebra mussels, to move from the Great Lakes to the Hudson River, and will continue to be a pathway for future invasions. Researchers, managers, and communities need to better understand what effects invasive species are having on the Mohawk River itself and be poised to predict and study new invaders, such as the round goby. The flow of species moves the other way, as well, when every spring blueback herring move from the coast up the Hudson River and through the locks up the Mohawk River to spawn. Juvenile herring are an important food source for predatory species in the river, but the adult spawning run appears to be decreasing with unknown effects to the food webs of the river. In general, fisheries in the Mohawk River are in a state of transition. Freshwater drum, previously absent, are now common to abundant throughout the river. Northern pike, once rare, are now common throughout the river and most are large. Even the popular smallmouth bass fishery has shifted from one of quantity to one of quality (fewer bass, but more bigger fish). Over twenty years has passed since the last river-wide fisheries survey of the Mohawk, and new studies are clearly needed to better ...