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7.0 Analysis of the Land

7.3 Environment

Although the Village is largely developed, its remaining natural features increase real estate values, provide natural habitat and enhance residents' quality of life. Sprawling growth over the last fifty years in the areas around the Village has generated large volumes of traffic through Pittsford, creating noise, pollution, and the erosion of the Village's pedestrian ambience. The adverse effects of traffic and sprawl threaten the safety of pedestrians, residents' quality of life, and the viability of businesses. Careful documentation of the existing environmental resources is necessary to ensure their protection.

This chapter documents the following components of the natural environment in Pittsford: geology, soils, topography, hydrology, woodlots, air-quality, noise and hazardous waste sites. While noise is not a biological attribute, it does directly affect the natural environment. All of the outlined features are important to the planning process because they determine the type, scale and intensity of development that is most appropriate for the land.

7.3.1 Geology

420 million years ago, western New York State was a tropical sea with great reefs (bioherms) and expansive tracts of coral and sponge banks (biostromes) distributed across western New York State. The rocks that describe this phase of prehistoric time can be seen along area expressways near the "Can of Worms", the I-490 rockcuts on the west side of Rochester and in area rock quarries. These rocks are part of the Lockport Group of dolostones of various textures and grain sizes: a lithostratigraphic unit about 150-200 feet in thickness. The Lockport Group underlies almost all of the Town of Pittsford. These rocks are exceedingly resistant and part of this rock unit is responsible for the resistant caprock that forms Niagara Falls.

Above the Lockport Group of dolomitic rocks, i.e. reef and shelf carbonate deposits, occurs the varicolored shales and fine-grained dolostones of the Vernon Formation. In the Syracuse region, the Vernon Formation is about 600 feet thick, but the unit thins westward toward Pittsford. The formation consists primarily of redbeds with intercalated thin units of black and green shales and dolomitic mudstones

A great complex of deltas spread outward from what is now Pennsylvania during the Late Silurian time. Concomitantly, the reefs and the bulk of marine organisms were retreating westward toward the midcontinent.

Eurypterids (you-rip-ter-ids), fossils, which are locally abundant, were swimming by the millions in transitional environments--probably not the open sea--perhaps in shallow lagoons behind the receding reefs and in bays and even in the rivers emptying into bays and lagoons. The sediments in these lagoons and bays were muddy and later were transformed into shales, i.e. rocks formed from various kinds of very fine sediments, mostly clays. Some layers of thin waterlime that occur inter- bedded among the shales were formed by stromatolitic activity in very shallow water of high salinity.

Many animals, including the eurypterids, were compressed by the enormous weight of incoming sediments into the fossils found in the rocks underlying Pittsford today. The entombed animals are now black because all that remains is the carbonized (black) residue of their shells (exoskeletons). The rock is also black because of the abundant fine carbonized (decomposed) organic material distributed throughout the matrix (i.e. the rock surrounding the fossil).The bedrock exposed in the Village of Pittsford dates from the Silurian and early Devonian Periods. Consisting of shales and limestone, the rock was deposited as sediment in a shallow sea, which covered western New York for millions of years. Bedrock is visible seasonally along the north bank of the canal between Main Street and the West Shore Bridge after the canal is drained in November. Pittsford shale is known for the fine eurypterid fossils it contains.

The present terrain of the Village is the result of glacial deposition, which occurred 10-25 thousand years ago. The area's rolling terrain is composed of a random mix of clays, sand and gravel. The area of the Village north of the canal contains sandy soils and hummocky small hills (delta formations), which were deposited in Lake Dawson, a prehistoric lake formed when water backed up behind the retreating glacier. These features are particularly visible north of Schoen Place on the open lands of the Powers Farm.

7.3.2 Soils

Soils are naturally occurring bodies at the surface of the earth that are the products of the earth's weather conditions and added processes that act on the unconsolidated organic and mineral materials. The properties of any soils are dependent upon a combination of factors including:

• The physical and chemical composition of the parent material;

• Climate and Topography;

• Animal and plant life; and

• Time

Information regarding the soils of Monroe County was obtained from the United States Department of Agriculture Soil Conservation Service and was published in the 1973 Soil Survey of Monroe County, New York. According to the Soil Survey, Pittsford is comprised of thirteen soil types:

• Ontario Loam

• Hilton Loam

• Edwards Muck

• Urban Land

• Galen Very Fine Sandy Loam

• Arkport Dunkirk Very Fine Sandy Loam

• Niagara Silt Loam

• Galen Very Fine Sandy Loam

• Minoa Very Fine Sandy Loam

• Colonie Loamy Fine Sand

• Dunkirk Silt Loam

• Scholoarie Silt Loam

• Alluvial Land

7.3.3 Topography

Topography is the shape of land surfaces, indicated by measuring relative heights and positions of the land's natural and man made features. Topography influences the land use by affecting its wetness, accessibility and erosion. In general, lands with a slope of 15% or greater are deemed steep and considered to be unsuitable for most uses. Steep slopes often create constraints to development, as long-term structural integrity normally requires costly design and engineering work.

In general, the land in the Village of Pittsford is level with slopes ranging between 2.5% (the Erie Canal) and 12.5% (along the southeast border of the Village of Pittsford.)

7.3.4 Hydrology

7.3.4.1 Watersheds
Watersheds are areas of land that catch precipitation, such as rain and snow, which then seeps or drains into groundwater, wetlands, streams, lakes or rivers. The land in the Village of Pittsford runs into two watershed areas - the Erie Canal and Rand Creek.

The Erie Canal is part of the Irondequoit Valley Watershed. Water drains into this water body because of artificial modifications to the watershed that occurred during the construction of the Canal from 1911-1912. Water that flows into Rand Creek drains to the east into the Oswego River to Lake Ontario.

7.3.4.2 Streams
There is one creek and one intermittent creek located in the Village of Pittsford. Located in the southeastern portion of the Village, Rand Creek is approximately 1,830 feet long and a tributary of Irondequoit Creek. This is a Class C stream according to the DEC. The stream classification indicates that the water in Rand Creek is best suited for fishing. While the water may support recreational uses, fish propagation limits those uses.

The Village of Pittsford also has an intermittent creek, Holly Creek situated in the northeast corner of the Village. This creek runs from the middle of Erie Canal north through Schoen Place to Farm Pond, which is located in the Agricultural District in the northeast area of the Village of Pittsford.

7.3.4.3 Wetlands

Both the Federal government and the State designate wetland areas. Federal wetlands can be areas of any size that are characterized by wetness; State designated wetlands are those areas measuring 12.4 acres or more in size or smaller wetlands of unusual local importance.

Federal Wetlands

The federal government, through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, regulates wetlands regardless of size in accordance with the Clean Waters Act. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have prepared mapping of these wetlands. These areas are designated as wetlands based upon the presence of three features: hydric soils, wetland vegetation and specific hydrologic conditions.

One federal wetland has been designated in the Village of Pittsford: the Erie Barge Canal, which starts at the northwest portion of the Village at Monroe Avenue/State Street and runs to the southeast portion of the Village.

State Wetlands

There are no State designated wetlands located in the Village of Pittsford.

7.3.4.4 Floodplains
There has been no designation in the Village of Pittsford, or any parcel of land therein, as a flood plain.

7.3.5 Woodlots / Woodlands

There are several significant wooded areas in the Village of Pittsford. A woodlot (less than 25 acres) is located on the Pittsford Sutherland High School Campus commonly referred to as Lomb Woods. Lombs Woods, an old growth woodlot consists of 200-year old hardwood trees, some thirty inches in diameter. Woodlands are located on the Powers Farm along the Erie Canal and on the Department of Public Works Property.

Located predominantly within the Town of Pittsford, the Lomb Woods, an area of approximately 8 acres, straddles the Town-Village line and is located on the property of 55 Sutherland Street belonging to the school district. The Lomb Woods are an important aesthetic and natural resource for this urban village, providing an assortment of species predominately including northern red oak and white oak trees, many which appear to be 200 or more years old. Minor inclusions are sugar maple, American beech, black cherry, American Basswood, bitternut hickory, tulip poplar, black birch and white ash. This woodlot also provides a significant wildlife habitat and its proximity offers unique educational opportunities for Sutherland High School science students. Pittsford Central School District recently placed a low ropes course in a portion of the woods.

While not identified as woodlots on the Environmental Considerations Plan, there are other significant woodlands in the Village of Pittsford. The Powers Farm includes a hedgerow along the property line that defines the parcel. The land occupied by the Department of Public Works includes a Spruce plantation, a succession old field and a composite of succession shrub land and succession northern hardwoods.

7.3.6 Air Quality

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation monitors air quality throughout the State using its Ambient Air Monitoring System. Data summaries of air pollutants have been established and are included in the reporting system for sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, total suspended particulates, inhalable particulates and lead.

The State maintains two air-monitoring stations in Monroe County; neither site is located in Pittsford. The monitoring stations are located at the inner loop on North Street and Wyand Crescent on Farmington Road in the City of Rochester. The stations monitor total suspended particulates, every six days for 61 samples per year. According to the 1998 annual report total suspended particulates levels at the North Street station fell between 20 and 30 micrograms per cubic meter and the Wyand Crescent station also fell between 20 and 30 micrograms per cubic meter. These figures were well below the New York State Ambient Air Quality Standard (AAQS) of 75 micrograms per cubic meter.

7.3.7 Noise

Noise has been documented as adversely affecting residents' quality of life by causing sleep disturbance, communication interference and general annoyance. Noise levels also have an effect on property values. In the Village of Pittsford, the quality of life and the value of property have been impacted by noise derived from traffic and as a result the ambiance of the community has suffered. Traffic has become a major issue at the four corners of the Village of Pittsford where Monroe Avenue and State Street meet at the intersection of South Main and North Main Street. Traffic congestion is also a concern on Schoen Place and at Jefferson Road and Main Street.

7.3.8 Hazardous Waste

Superfund

Superfund is a program administered by the Environmental Protection Agency to locate, investigate and clean up the worst hazardous waste sites throughout the United States. Before Superfund, Americans were less aware of how dumping chemical waste might affect public health and the environment. Hazardous wastes were often left in the open where they seeped into the ground, flowed into rivers and lakes and contaminated soil and groundwater. Where these practices were intensive or continuous, there were uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites. According to the Comprehensive Environmental Response and Liability Information System (CERCLIS), there are no superfund locations in the Village of Pittsford.

Figure 7-3 Environmental Considerations
Village of Pittsford

RCRA

The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) requires that generators, transporters, treaters, storers, and disposers of hazardous waste (as defined by the federally recognized hazardous waste codes) provide information concerning their activities to State environmental agencies. These agencies then provide the information to Regional and national U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) offices. Hazardous waste data is contained in the Resource Conservation and Recovery Information System (RCRIS). There are four RCRIS sites that are located in Pittsford.

Table 7-3 - RCRIS Sites
Village of Pittsford

Source: United States Environmental Protection Agency

Brownfields

Brownfields are properties where contamination or the perception of contamination limits the development potential of the site. Neither Monroe County nor the New York State DEC maintains a catalogue of brownfield sites. According to the NYS DEC Region 9 Office, there are no documented brownfield sites in the Pittsford area.

7.3.9 Quality of Life

In the Village of Pittsford, there are several issues that were identified in the charrette that impact the quality of life and environment. The charrette and Comprehensive Planning Committee found that much of the area in the Village is devoted to pavement. The Village could mitigate some of these issues by improving the greenspace. In addition, streetscape improvements (trees, benches), would improve the character of the Village.

The open space system in the Village is also important to the overall quality of life for residents. Not only does the open space system protect environmentally sensitive areas, but the open space system can also include interpretive or educational facilities, recreation facilities and parks. The land at the Department of Public Works could be used as a Village Park to anchor the open space system.

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