Otsego County SWCD Obtains Excavator through $200K Grant
OTSEGO COUNTY—The Otsego County Soil and Water Conservation District, in coordination with the Otsego County Highway Department, the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York, the Upper Susquehanna Coalition, the Fulton and Steuben County Soil and Water Conservation Districts, and various other local, city, village, and town authorities, has procured a Volvo EC140EL excavator for stream and environmental remediation projects within Otsego County. According to a press release, this is the culmination of a years-long effort to obtain such a piece of equipment to facilitate conservation efforts in Otsego County.
Like many other regions of New York State, Otsego County has suffered numerous issues pertaining to flooding and stream erosion, officials explained. These issues have affected many communities within the county, making transportation and communication with the rest of the region, and even the state, difficult. The SWCD staff often gets calls from some of the more isolated townships and hamlets regarding stream and culvert washouts and how to solve this problem. Simultaneously, said environmental restorative projects can prove very costly for municipalities that don’t have the equipment, budget or the expertise for such work.
“It gets very disheartening, seeing these small communities requesting help and me telling them that there is not much we can do at this moment,” SWCD District Manager Christos Galanopoulos noted, recalling one such instance.
He and his technicians get phone calls every year from the county and other municipalities regarding streambank stabilization, culvert resizing and replacement, and emergency stream intervention, he said. In many cases, towns barely have enough to perform their core missions, with any additional funding often going to equipment and building maintenance.
Galanopoulos said any environmental remediation work “often tends to be temporary patches until additional funding is secured by a state grant, hopefully.”
“Though this new procurement, we hope that we at least have one avenue to immediately tackle vitally important stream areas that are afflicted with flooding and erosion concerns,” Galanopoulos added.
Funding for the excavator was awarded through the Office of the late Senator James Seward and his successor, Senator Peter Oberacker, and administered by the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York.
In tandem, the Upper Susquehanna Coalition, the Fulton County SWCD and especially the Otsego County Highway Department helped with pinpointing the appropriate size of equipment that would work best for environmental work here, officials explained.
“While the Otsego County Highway Department does have excavators, they often are too large and cumbersome for stream and wetland work, which often results in them sinking in the ground or failing to go into smaller areas that require such work,” the press release reads.
According to Galanopoulos, there are still a few chokepoints regarding stream and environmental restoration within Otsego County. For starters, he noted, there is the permitting process, which can offset work for months—sometimes years. Also, materials such as riprap and other stones cost quite a lot for many of the smaller towns, rendering the need for additional funding.
“However,” he said, “the acquisition of this Volvo EC140EL significantly reduces the time and cost of many of these projects; especially with billable and in-kind labor.”
In the press release, the Otsego County SWCD extended thanks to Jacob Hart from the Fulton County SWCD, Jeff Parker from Steuben County SWCD, Jeremy Waddell from the USC, the Office of Sen. Peter Oberacker for the funding, “and especially Richard Brimmer from the Otsego County Highway Department.”
Their guidance, funding and advice was critical for the success of this project, officials said.
For additional information, contact Galanopoulos at galanopoulosc@otsegosoilandwater.com or by phone at (607) 547-8131, extension 4.
