English Brook Watershed
Sediment Basin, Stormwater Retrofit Plan, Reservoir Clean-out
LOCATIONS:
1. Sediment Basin - The mouth of English Brook on the Lochlea Estate;
2. Stormwater Retrofit Plan - Rt 9N at the entrance to the Lochlea Estate; 
3. Reservoir Clean-out - Hubble Reservoir.
ACTION: Sediment Basin: A150-foot long sediment basin has been designed by the Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District. It will be constructed at the mouth of the brook and is designed to slow down the flow of water, allowing sediment to fall out prior to entering the Lake. Once completed it will need to be maintained (cleaned out) every 2 to 3 years - when it reaches about 50-75% capacity. This equates to roughly 350-525 cubic yards of material. The LGA has received permits or non-jurisdictional letters from the appropriate agencies / municipalities. We are awaiting a final permit from the DEC.
Stormwater Retrofit Plan
In July 2011, a stormwater separator Aqua-Swirl unit was installed on the east side of Route 9N at the Lochlea Estate in the town of Lake George. This system will collect previously untreated stormwater runoff from the east and west sides of Route 9N, as well as from the bridge between the two exits at Exit 22 on Interstate 87. The majority of the runoff from this 48-acre sub-watershed will be captured and treated.
Shallow soils throughout the sub-watershed prevented the use of more standard stormwater retrofits such as dry wells and underground infiltrators. Jarrett Engineering, in conjunction with Warren County Soil and Water, determined that a stormwater separator would be the best type of retrofit to use. (It has a small footprint.) A $25,000 grant from the Lake Champlain Basin Program helped us purchase the system.
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| The Aqua-Swirl -- delivered and ready for installation at the intersection of Rt. 9N and English Brook, just north of the village of Lake George. | A diversion structure is installed to direct stormwater into the Aqua-Swirl unit. |
The system is designed to remove gross pollutants, fine sediments and waterborne pollutants using vortex or swirl technology (see the Aqua-Swirl website for additional information). Maintenance on the system will be provided by the village of Lake George's highway department, using the LGA's Catch Vac.
Reservoir Cleanout: This is a tricky basin to deal with as the reservoir itself is owned by the village of Lake George, but it is surrounded by state-owned land. When Hubble Reservoir has been cleaned out in the past, highway departments from both the village and town of Lake George assisted. A non-functioning sluice gate and valve, and the lack of a permanent dewatering pipe, made it difficult to dewater the site, preventing drainage of the entire basin. In 2009, the LGA hired Patrick J. Galusha Construction to remove the sluice gate and valve to determine if it could be repaired. At the same time they also fixed the dewatering pipe. Taking advantage of the empty reservoir, Galusha Construction removed close to 600 cubic yards of sediment that had settled behind the dam.
PROJECT CONTRACTORS AND PARTNERS: Jarrett Engineers, Patrick J. Galusha Construction, Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District, town and village of Lake George, Lochlea Estate
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF PROJECT SUPPORT: Helen V. Froehlich Foundation, NYS Dept. of State (Environmental Protection Agency Funds), Lake George Watershed Coalition, Lake Champlain Basin Program, Lochlea Estate and in-kind services from the town and village of Lake George highway departments.
