Public Plant Tour: Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Facility (NYC Dept. of Environmental Protection) - Tuesday, July 16th, 9:30 - 11: 30 am
This tour is generally on the second Tuesday of the month, but that date is subject to change. It is best to check the event calendar for the Visitor Center at http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/environmental_education/newtown_events.shtml. Future Summer Dates: Tuesday, August 12th and Tuesday, September 9th - subject to change. Please check with DEP Visitor Center website to confirm.
The Plant Tour is led by Jim Pynn, the Superintendent of the plant. Reservations are required. To reserve a spot please an email to events@dep.nyc.gov stating your full name and email address. On the day of tour, please wear shoes appropriate for a work site.
Directions to Visitor Center at 329 Greenpoint Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11222: (The Visitor Center is a two-story orange brick building, surrounded by a garden and water sculpture. Enter at the intersection of Greenpoint Avenue and Humboldt Street.)
By subway: Take the G train to Greenpoint Avenue and follow directions at "Subway to the Visitor Center at Newtown Creek" - http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/environmental_education/newtown_directions.shtml
By auto: (using Google Maps) Go to "Directions" and enter your starting location.
(Details of last year's AIChE, Metro NY Plant Tour below.)
They are visible from the Long Island Expressway and Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, and have been described as "Eight Large Eggs, in a Hue of Blue" (New York Times). They are the eight great sludge digester “eggs” of the Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant in Brooklyn, which we will be visiting in a special plant tour in May. See the Blue Man Group's visit of this facility.
☛ Last Plant Tour: Saturday, June 18, 2011
June 2011 event: Plant Tour of New York City’s Croton Water Filtration Plant
Details on this past event from the AIChE's ChEnected blog.
When: Saturday, June 18th, 2011,10 am - 12 noon (Arrive before 10 am)
Venue: Van Cortlandt Park beneath the Mosholu Golf Course, Bronx, NY. Address: 3701 Jerome Avenue, Bronx. Directions by Car / By Subway (#4 line to Woodlawn, final stop).
Special Instructions: Dress code is long pants with construction boots, since the venue is still a construction site. If attendees plan to drive, they must provide their license plate number, when they register. Must be over 18 years old.
It’s the largest single construction contract in New York City’s history, according to www.water-technology.net, and the Croton water filtration plant will soon begin service (in 2012). We will get a sneak peak of the project in June, in a special Saturday plant tour.
Once completed, the plant will represent a significant step in improving the water quality of the one million New Yorkers who rely on the Croton water system – the city's oldest – which first began service in 1842.
We have arranged for this tour with NYC’s Department of Environmental Protection and key contractor Hazen & Sawyer. Thank you both for your help.
Source: Hazen & Sawyer
Being built entirely underground and requiring deep excavation and extensive rock boring to provide the necessary water tunnels, the four-storey plant will ultimately treat around 1.2 million cubic meters a day. This represents roughly 10% of New York's daily requirement – though the plant will be able to increase its throughput to supply around 30% in times of drought or severe need.
The new plant is to be the first water treatment plant actually located within New York City’s boroughs. It’s being constructed at a 12-acre site in the Bronx, within Van Cortlandt Park beneath the Mosholu Golf Course – with ten acres being turned back into a municipal golf course on completion.
Water treatment will involve stacked Dissolved Air Floatation (DAF)/ filtration – the combination of a DAF loading rate of 50 gpm and a dual media filter containing 60 cm anthracite, 30 cm sand being chosen to optimise particulate removal. DAF sludge skimmed solids will be dewatered by centrifuge before disposal. The filtered water is then disinfected by treatment with UV (ultra violet light) and chlorine. After treatment, the water will be chemically adjusted as required and subsequently dosed with ortho-phosphate for corrosion control and hydrofluorosilicic acid to add fluoride.
Costs: Free, but you must pre-register.
Details on Upcoming Events. Other Events of Interest: Web Calendar