Is the future of Round Lake in peril?

It started as an innocuous request. During the November 8 Monroe Town Board meeting, town councilmembers reviewed a request from the Chester Fire District to connect to the Moodna sewage line. The rebuilt home for the district’s Trout Brook Engine & Hose Company, located at 712 Lakes Road — just beyond where Lakes Road and Laroe Road intersect — is well within the borders of the town of Chester. However, the Moodna sewage line is located within the town of Monroe.

The good news is that the request from the Chester Fire District states that the town of Chester’s sewer allocation would be used, and not the town of Monroe’s. The bad news is that any sewage added to the Moodna sewage line must pass through the Round Lake interceptor. In short, the Round Lake interceptor does exactly what you think it does: it keeps Round Lake from getting overwhelmed with pollution.

Sewage interceptors do this by rerouting that wastewater either to another interceptor or to the local wastewater treatment plant. Interceptors are critical to the overall function of a municipal sewer network, and are often the last and largest pipes to be installed. Also worth noting: According to the New York State DEC, 1,000 brown trout are stocked in Round Lake every spring. In the summer and fall, Round Lake is often the home to largemouth bass and bluegills, making it a popular destination for fishermen. Losing Round Lake could mean a loss in eco-tourism dollars for local businesses and municipalities if those fishermen were to go elsewhere. Not to mention, residents of Monroe would lose the ability to ride boats out onto the lake, which is a popular activity provided by the town-owned and operated boat launch.

As Councilwoman Mary Bingham explained, the Round Lake interceptor has had “problems in the past.” She added that future projects, including Henry Farms — a long delayed and contentious housing project that could include up to 491 homes at the intersection of Lakes Road and Camp Monroe — would only add to the strain of the system. If the Interceptor were to fail, it would cause irreparable damage to Round Lake. The Photo News reached out to the Orange County Sewer District 1 office, which handles the Round Lake interceptor, but did not hear back as of this writing.

The more construction around Round Lake, the more likely it is that the interceptor will fail and the lake will be polluted. Bingham further stated that if the Round Lake interceptor fails, Monroe “would be left holding the bag,” since it’s the town’s responsibility to repair and not the town of Chester. Supervisor Cardone placed a call during the meeting to the Chester Fire District secretary, who informed him that the rebuilt firehouse would use about 473 gallons a day (equivalent to one single-family home). The secretary also stated that the fire house would not be used for anything other than meetings and cleaning up after fires. This alleviated concerns from the board about the firehouse being a location for potential events, thus using more water and sewage. After the call, the town board voted unanimously to approve the fire district hookup into the Moodna line. But the questions surrounding the current status of the Round Lake interceptor, and its future ability to handle continued development in the area, remain unanswered.