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» Part 2 Saturday: Salt in Lake Colby could have multiple sources » Part 1 Friday: All tests show more salt than average in Colby, other local lakes

SARANAC LAKE - The town of Harrietstown is pursuing a federal grant to build a sand/salt shed for its uncovered pile on John Munn Road, and the village of Saranac Lake is exploring various options to cover its pile in the wake of an environmental group's lawsuit threat and a consent order from the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

There has been no further discussion between the municipalities of collaborating on a joint sand/salt shed. However, discussions could resume if the town gets the grant.

"If they get the funding, we'd enter into discussion to see if we'll share a building with them," said village Mayor Tom Michael.

The village Board of Trustees will meet at 5:15 p.m. today to discuss possibly signing the DEC consent order. The order came after the Adirondack Council threatened to sue the village if the pile isn't moved or covered by mid-August.

"A building is not our only option, and we're exploring all of our options," Michael said.

Michael said the village is seeking a permissible-discharge permit from the DEC and also plans to prevent runoff from its sand pile, which consists of about 5 percent salt and sits near a brook that discharges into Lake Colby and may be partially responsible for higher-than-normal salt levels in the lake.

"We want to prevent water from entering the area where the pile is," Michael said. "We'd also install some grassy areas in between the pile and any areas that could potentially protect streams."

One of the options being explored is covering the pile with a tarp. Moving the pile would be theoretically possible, but Michael said there are no good spots to move it.

"Practically every property (the village owns) is near wetlands, rivers or lakes," Michael said.

The grant the town is applying for would come through the state's Green Innovations Program, which is funded with federal stimulus money. Harrietstown Supervisor Larry Miller said at a town board meeting in May that he has been told the town has a good chance of getting the grant due to the possible positive environmental impact of the construction.

Miller has also said he hopes the ongoing co-terminus boundary study for the village and the town will help answer questions as to where it would make more economic sense to build a shed, and other highway department consolidation questions. This study is expected to be done in 14 months.

The town has its own sand pile, which also contains salt, next to the town garage. It already has a permit from the state Adirondack Park Agency to put a shed there. This pile is also near wetlands that are connected to Lake Colby.

The village and town have discussed building a joint sand/salt shed in the past, and they signed a memorandum of understanding in 2006 agreeing to put one on John Munn Road. However, talks broke down last year when village trustees split over whether the shed should go on John Munn Road or Van Buren Street. Harrietstown postponed further action in December 2008.

Michael said the village will bring the town up to speed after it is done working with the DEC. He said the village would most likely put the project back out to bid. Bids last year came in at over $700,000.

"Once we know that, we'll make a decision as to whether we'll consider building one at all," Michael said. "$700,000 doesn't make a lot of sense."

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Contact Nathan Brown at (518) 891-2600 ext. 26 or nbrown@adirondackdailyenterprise.com.