A 700-foot perimeter trench was dug before the 1998 winter season, although it was not shaped and seeded until the following spring. Note the amount of road sand in the melting snow piles in the spring of 1999.
All the snow and winter sand removed from Lake Placid streets is stored in an area beside the Chubb River. The enormous piles of snow accumulated over a winter season leach sand and salt into the river as they melt in the spring and early summer, and the site has been on the NYSDEC "Priority Water List" for non-point source pollution for years. An inexpensive solution was suggested by Mark Bonfey of the regional NYSDOT: a perimeter trench connected to settling basins at low grade points where sand could drop out of meltwater before entering the Chubb.
Richard Boyer, Highway superintendent, dug a 700-foot trench set back at least 40-feet from the river and two settling basins approximately 9'x5'x2' with the outsides of the basins slightly bermed. Crew 21 from Camp Gabriels lined the sides of the basins with geotextile fabric, then covered the fabric with hand-placed large stone. Old concrete sidewalk material will be placed at the bottom of the basins so there will be no chance of over-digging and basin wall collapse when the sand is periodically removed.
Volunteers from the AuSable River Association, Lake Placid GardenClub, and Saranac/Lake Placid HeadStart staff cleaned up the buffer area between the trench and river, planted and fertilized nearly 300 seedlings to beautify the area, take up excess nutrients, and shade and cool the river. The Garden Club tanker truck is watering the seedlings and newly planted grass. Indeed, this project is the impetus for developing a park at the site.
One of the settling ponds.