SPDES Permit NY0260851 • DEC ID 4-1020-00039

Ancram Post Office — Wastewater Treatment System

1295 County Route 7, Ancram, NY 12502 • Columbia County

Current Status — Updated October 7, 2026

All application materials, fees, and lab testing have been submitted. DEC Division of Water (Jamie Malcolm) is drafting the reissued permit. As of October 6, 2026, DEC is asking questions about building connections that were already resolved in the June 2026 correspondence. The applicant has been actively pursuing this renewal since August 2025 — over 14 months.

Facility & System Details

Facility
Ancram Post Office
1295 County Route 7, Ancram, NY 12502
Owner / Permit Contact
Michael Potvin
14 Five Roses Rd E., Ancram, NY 12502
Treatment System
Multi-Flo Single-Tank Aerobic Unit
500 GPD capacity
Discharge Point
Outfall 001
Unnamed tributary to Roeliff Jansen Kill
Connected Structures
Post Office + Apartment
Upper dwelling NOT connected (confirmed June 2026)
Coordinates
42°03'00.99"N, 73°38'16.24"W
Tax Parcel 205.3-1-43

Completed Requirements

Everything requested by DEC has been submitted:

  • Full SPDES P/C/I Application submitted and revised per DEC feedback (Dec 2025 – Apr 2026)
  • Short Environmental Assessment Form (SEAF) completed via EAF Mapper
  • Climate Leadership Act form submitted (Jan 2026)
  • ELAP-certified lab sampling completed by Adirondack Environmental Services (Mar 2026)
  • Application pages 4 & 5 completed with lab data, page 1 re-signed (Apr 2026)
  • All associated fees paid in full (confirmed Mar 2026)
  • Discharge sources specified: Post Office + Apartment only
  • Upper house confirmed as NOT connected to system (agreed by all parties, June 2026)

Effluent Sampling Results

Sampled March 23, 2026 • Analyzed by Adirondack Environmental Services, Inc. (ELAP #10709) • Work Order #260324051

Parameter Result Reporting Limit Units
BOD (5-day, 20°C) ND (Not Detected) 4 mg/L
Total Suspended Solids (TSS) ND (Not Detected) 1.1 mg/L
pH 6.9 — pH units (@ 18°C)
Settleable Solids ND (Not Detected) 0.1 mL/L

All parameters meet or exceed SPDES requirements. The system is functioning properly and producing clean effluent.

Complete Timeline

1998–1999
Original permit issued. Multi-Flo system installed and permitted under SPDES NY0260851. Site plan dated April 22, 1998.
March 2023
Property purchased by Michael Potvin. Permit transferred into new owner's name. System continuously maintained and serviced.
May 31, 2024
Permit expired. No renewal notice was received by the property owner prior to expiration.
August 29, 2025 DEC
DEC sent letter (USPS + email) requesting full SPDES P/C/I application, treating renewal as new application per UPA NYCRR 621.11(h)(4) because it was not filed within 180 days of expiration.
December 1, 2025 DEC
Lena Phillips emailed about expired permit status and attached application form.
December 7, 2025 Potvin
Asked about requirements since nothing has changed about the system; asked how to prevent this from happening again.
December 8, 2025 DEC
Lena Phillips explained full technical review required. Application subject to UPA and SEQR. Requested SEAF Part 1 and outlined public notice requirements.
December 8, 2025 Potvin
Application forms submitted. Initially listed 250 GPD, corrected same day to 500 GPD.
December 11, 2025 DEC
Lena Phillips acknowledged submission. Division of Water reviewing. Attached original SPDES permit for applicant's records.
December 16, 2025 DEC
Jamie Malcolm (Division of Water) requested: (1) ELAP lab sampling of Multi-Flo effluent for BOD/TSS/pH/settleable solids/temperature, (2) complete application pages 4 & 5 with lab data, (3) re-sign/re-date page 1, (4) specify current discharge sources, (5) note upper house disconnection. Provided list of contract laboratories.
January 6, 2026 DEC
Lena Phillips sent Climate Leadership Act form (previously omitted). Classified project as "major" per NYCRR 621.4(e) since discharge goes to surface water.
January 12, 2026 Potvin
Acknowledged all requests. Began arranging lab sampling.
March 23, 2026 Potvin
Effluent sampling conducted by Adirondack Environmental Services (ELAP #10709).
March 27, 2026 Potvin
Confirmed all fees paid and up to date. Lab results expected shortly. Carrick Palmer took over permits review from Lena Phillips.
March 31, 2026 Potvin
Lab results submitted to DEC. All parameters ND (not detected) or within normal range. System functioning properly.
April 6, 2026 Potvin
Revised application submitted with completed pages 4 & 5 using lab data, re-signed page 1.
April 13, 2026 Potvin
Followed up asking if application is complete or if anything else is needed.
April 20, 2026 DEC
Jamie Malcolm suggested CCTV camera work to determine if upper house is connected to system.
April 23, 2026 Potvin
Explained upper house is under renovation; asked to proceed with permit regardless, as he intends to reconnect later. Asked to move forward.
April 23 – June 22, 2026
No response from DEC for 2 months.
June 22, 2026 Potvin
Followed up: "What needs to be done to close this out? I've submitted all the paperwork, had the water tests done, been billed and paid the fees."
June 23, 2026 DEC
Jamie Malcolm: "let us revisit the issue." Asked again about house connection status.
June 23, 2026 Potvin
Reiterated: house is not connected, would like to reconnect later. "I've been working on this for over three years now."
June 24, 2026 DEC
Jamie Malcolm requested original engineering report. Carrick Palmer provided the original permit and site plan from DEC's own files. Both confirmed the "Dwelling" on the original plan was not connected to the system.
June 25, 2026 DEC
Carrick Palmer recommended proceeding without the house connection; house can be added later via permit modification. Jamie Malcolm agreed but noted: "to be honest, I've forgotten what Michael asked for initially."
June 25, 2026 Potvin
Agreed to proceed without house. "Forget about the second house. I just want to get this finished. What do I need to do?"
July 1, 2026 DEC
Jamie Malcolm: "Seems like we could reissue the existing permit in the new template assuming no new flows."
July – October 2026
Applicant followed up repeatedly with no substantive progress:
July 22, 2026 Potvin
Follow-up #1: "Let me know what I can do to push this through."
August 19, 2026 Potvin
Follow-up #2. DEC response: "Checking with my supervisor."
September 2, 2026 Potvin
Follow-up #3: "I am once again asking if you have any updates." DEC response: "It's in my queue."
September 8, 2026 Potvin
Follow-up #4: Asked if he should expect to hear back when complete.
September 17, 2026 Potvin
Follow-up #5: noted he's been at this since August 2025. DEC: "I am working on your permit."
October 6, 2026 DEC
Jamie Malcolm asked again about the apartment and building layout — questions that were already addressed and resolved in the June 2026 correspondence thread.

Previously Resolved Questions

For reference, these questions have been answered in the email record:

Is the upper house ("Dwelling") connected to the system?

No. Confirmed by applicant (Apr 23, Jun 23, Jun 25, 2026), by the original site plan (provided by Carrick Palmer, Jun 24), and agreed upon by Jamie Malcolm and Carrick Palmer (Jun 25). The dwelling was never connected per the original permit. Decision: proceed without the house; add via permit modification later if needed.

What structures are currently connected?

Post Office + 2-bedroom apartment only. Specified on the revised application (Apr 6, 2026) per Jamie Malcolm's instructions (Dec 16, 2025).

What is the apartment?

The 2-bedroom apartment is part of the Post Office building. It is shown on the original 1998 site plan as "2 Bedroom Apartment and Post Office" in the same structure. There is no separate apartment building.

Is there another building behind the Post Office?

A barn is visible on the 1998 site plan but it is not on this property and is not within the scope of this application. See the site plan in the documents section below.

System capacity?

500 GPD. Corrected from initial 250 GPD submission on Dec 8, 2025.

Documents

Property Photo

Left (pink): Ancram Post Office & 2-bedroom apartment — the building serviced by the Multi-Flo system. Right (gray): Neighboring barn structure — not on this property and not within scope of this application.

Street view showing the Ancram Post Office (pink building, left) and neighboring barn (gray, right)

Site Plan Reference

Detail from the original 1998 site plan showing the Post Office, apartment, dwelling, and system layout.

Site plan detail showing Post Office, apartment, dwelling, and Multi-Flo system layout

DEC Contacts on This Application

Division of Water
Jamie Malcolm
james.malcolm@dec.ny.gov
Reviewing permit / drafting reissuance
Division of Environmental Permits
Carrick Palmer
carrick.palmer@dec.ny.gov • 518-357-2389
Permits review (took over from Lena Phillips, Mar 2026)
Division of Environmental Permits (Prior)
Lena Phillips
lena.phillips@dec.ny.gov • 518-357-2447
Initial contact, Dec 2025 – Mar 2026