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General Terms


Amended Consent Judgment (ACJ)

the 1998 federal court order that requires Onondaga County to take steps to reduce the amount of pollution that enters Onondaga Lake and its tributaries.


Combined Sewer Overflows (CSO)

stormwater runoff events that overload the sewer system and directly discharge a combination of stormwater and sewage to local water ways.


Demonstration Project

a project constructed to illustrate the feasibility of new methods and practices.


Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC)

New York State agency designed to protect and enhance the state environment through regulatory authority and jurisdiction.


Department of Water Environment Protection (WEP)

Onondaga County’s department that manages the operation and maintenance of municipal wastewater systems throughout the County.


Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Federal that sets and enforces rules and standards that protect the environment.


Gray Infrastructure

(or “traditional” infrastructure) includes the utilization of pipes, concrete and overall management of sewer system.


Green Improvement Fund (GIF)

Onondaga County’s public-private partnership grant program to incentivize the construction of green infrastructure on private property.


Green Infrastructure (GI)

engineered systems designed to capture, infiltrate and absorb stormwater where it lands, preventing it from entering the sewer system. Examples include rain gardens, green roofs, cisterns and porous pavement.


Stormwater Runoff

excessive flow during and after storm events that can cause overflow events during peak fall.


Tributary Water Body

a relatively small body of water (ex. streams, brooks etc.) that naturally flows to a larger body of water (ex. rivers, lakes, oceans etc.)