AVON – New York State is exempting the Village of Avon from eliminating invasive Australian Common Reed (phragmites australis), which drinks up the water and dries out sludge at the wastewater treatment plant. John Barrett, the Village's Superintendent of Public Works, passed on a message from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to the Village Board in December 2017 that the reeds would have to be removed and … [Read more...]
SUN EXCLUSIVE: DEC Bans Phragmites Reeds in Avon Wastewater Beds
AVON – The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is prohibiting the use of Australian Common Reed (phragmites australis) in the wastewater treatment plant's reed beds. According to Bill Davis with MRB Group, consulting engineers for the Village, the DEC specifically bans any planting of seeds or roots of the extremely common, invasive reed. "There's an American phragmites and an Australian phragmites, and the … [Read more...]