Oakwood Wastewater Treatment Plant
Before our class discussion on the presence of wastewater treatment plants, I never once gave thought to where exactly the sewage from my home goes once it leaves it, and I was shocked to find just how close it was to spots that I’m entirely familiar with. Oakwood Beach Wastewater Treatment Plant is located right along the coastline of Staten Island facing the Atlantic Ocean, which is a notoriously dirty and unkempt shoreline in terms of both water quality and general pollution on the beach itself. The water has been found to be toxic in various studies done by local scientists, and it is a generally well known fact by local Staten Islanders that the water at Midland Beach is especially foul smelling and disgusting (which is why sensible Staten Island beachgoers go elsewhere for their beach-going needs). Knowing that this plant is right next to the area where most Staten Islanders are going to sunbathe over the summer is incredibly indicative of the reasons as to why that water might be so truly foul to swim in.
Water Usage & Pollution in Harlem
Before the class discussion about water plants and water pollution, I never gave it much thought to where all my wastewater went to or how much I was using per day. Since I dorm at The Towers at CCNY right next to campus, the North River Wastewater Treatment Plant, discussed in class, is most likely to be where my wastewater is processed. According to the NYC Environment Protection page, it is located on the Hudson River and is responsible for the wastewater treatment for western Manhattan. The plant treats 125 to 340 million gallons of wastewater per day. Construction on its foundation was completed around 1991 and it underwent two phases of construction. It has won many awards for its design; the plant is organized by a computer system and has a very efficient odor control process.
In terms of my own role in water conservation, my dorm has been very efficient in attempting to conserve water. They installed adjustable water faucets last year and recently replaced them with water conserving faucets; these faucets are unfortunately inconvenient for me. Due to the decreased water pressure (amount of water released), it takes me about two times longer to wash my face or brush my teeth. However, I always make sure to turn the water off when I am not using it. While I complain about how I have to spend more time in the bathroom in the mornings, it is ultimately a first-world problem since the conservation of water was applied to the whole building as a whole, water usage can and will decrease dramatically in the future.
References:
(n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/wastewater/northri.shtml
Astoria Wastewater
The most important body of water in my area is the East River located along Astoria Park. The water there is notorious and is known to be filthy, even proposed to be holding dead bodies. In recent years, the mayor has made it a priority to work on the cleansing of the water and preventing it from being polluted by the parties/events taken place all year long at the park. This is why the Newtown Creek wastewater water treatment plant is important as well as I coincide with the movement in Astoria Park . Located in Brooklyn’s Greenpoint neighborhood, Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant is the largest of New York City’s 14 wastewater treatment facilities. It is situated on 53 acres and serves more than 1 million people in parts of Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan. Through guided education programs, the treatment allows students to discover the journey our drinking water takes to get to our taps, the process of cleaning our wastewater before it is released into surrounding waterways, and stewardship opportunities.
Wastewater treatment and personal consumption
The 14 wastewater treatment plants of New York treat 1.3 billion gallons of wastewater daily. Using the Map of Plant Locations and Capacities posted on the New York City Environmental Protection webpage, I was able to identify that Tallman Island in Queens is my local wastewater treatment system. It is designed with the capacity to process upwards of 80 million gallons of water for the northeastern section of Queens, with the northern tip entering Nassau county area. It has been in operation since 1939, and spans an area of 16,860 Acres. Being from Flushing, Queens I am a member of the upwards of 400,000 people that this plant serves on a regular basis. I also discovered that in 2010 there was a large scale upgrade to the system consisting of a Plant Upgrade Program (PUP). which provided for Biological Nutrient Removal (BNR) by improving the aeration system. It also included the replacement of main sewage pumps , blowers and drive engines with electric motors. This was done in order to maintain a safe working environment for the future as well as meet the requirements of the citywide nitrogen removal program.
According to USGS.org , the average individual consumes somewhere between 80-100 gallons of water per day. Putting that in perspective, with the plant serving 400,000 people there is a daily input of 4000000 gallons. Even using my very preliminary and loose calculations, the sheer magnitude of water used drives home the importance of conserving as much freshwater as possible. Using an online calculator, my water consumption was estimated to be approximately 90 gallons per day. The bulk of this consumption was through the regular showers and water usage through laundry.By seeing it laid put in numeric and tabular form, I will attempt to decrease my water usage through changes in habit (maybe by taking shorter showers) and by utilizing water in a more conscious manner.
Wastewater Treatment and My Role in Water Consumption/Pollution
From a quick search for my closest wastewater treatment plant, I found out that my own personal wastewater most probably is processed at The Owl’s Head Wastewater Treatment Plant. From this search, I’ve learned that the plant has been in operation since 1952 and treats upwards of 120 million gallons of wastewater. Presumably, I am a part of the over 700,000 New Yorkers the plant serves. Interestingly enough, I also found some angry reviews and complaints about the notorious odor the plant plagues throughout the neighborhood, to which there have been efforts to reduce these process odors through operational upgrades and reconstruction.
In regards to my own personal consumption and usage of water, I admittedly take for granted my easy and seemingly unlimited access to water. My showers are long, I leave the sink on when I brush my teeth, and don’t make as great of use of my reusable/refillable water bottles as I could. I definitely contribute to the ongoing plight of water consumption which indirectly contributes to the pollution of our limited sources of water. I know many share this mindset of being just one individual, and that my own personal actions won’t cause much of a difference, but of course that is not the case. I 100% need to be more conscious and wary of my own water consumption and how I contribute to water pollution whether it be through the use of plastics that may end up on the streets and washed away into our waters. One small change is still impactful.
Thoughts on Newtown Creek Water Treatment Plant
Growing up I always knew that the Newtown Creek Water Treatment Plant existed and it was relatively close to my neighborhood in Queens, but I never gave it much thought. The closest I’ve ever been to it was when one of my friends made a wrong turn while driving. Neither of us knew what it was and we went about the rest of our day. Looking back on this experience I’ve realized how lucky we are to live in a city where we are able to be so passive about water treatment. We take the concept of clean water for granted, ignoring what it means to treat water and what it means for our usage.
After doing some research on the plant, I’ve learned that it is New York City’s largest water treatment plant, and on a daily basis, it treats around 310 million gallons of water. This number more than doubles to 810 million gallons when it rains. It is responsible for water from Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. I find it incredibly ironic that the Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment plant plays such a large role in the safety of our water, but the actual creek it is named for is incredibly polluted to the point where it is listed as a Superfund site. The creek itself is home to Pesticides, PCBs and other toxins which are harmful to both humans and animals.
Aside from realizing the importance of water treatment and the seeming irony of the situation, I have also learned to take into account my own water usage. Using a water footprint calculator, which lists the national average as 2,200 gallons day, I use approximately 1,500 gallons of water a day. This does not just include showers and washing dishes, but it takes the number of clothes I buy, how much I drive (not at all), how much meat I eat, and other factors which contribute to water usage. This makes me realize how much water is being used on a daily basis and makes me more mindful of conservation.
Wastewater Treatment and Me
Using an NYC wastewater pamphlet I discovered that I am one of the 850,000 Queens residents whose sewage gets treated at the Bowery Bay Waste Water Treatment Plant. It’s ability to manage 150 million gallons of wastewater accounts for the entire Northwestern section of Queens, stretching from Long Island City to Forest Hills. I found it interesting that the plant was malodorous enough to cause a 3 million dollar investment that saw Aluminum caps fitted with a carbon filtration system placed on top of sludge tanks to reduce ninety-nine percent of the smell. This kind of investment is characteristic of the Department of Environmental Protection’s larger plans as they’re sitting on 14 billion dollars over the next ten years, which they hope to use to create over 3,000 more construction related jobs. This is a strong point to contrast the popular belief that we have to make sacrifices in our economy to protect the environment.
Using another pamphlet from the NYC Department of Environmental Protection, I found out I use approximately 100 gallons of water a day, 25 more than the average New Yorker. This is in large part due to having a non-water saving shower head at home. As much as I do love high water pressure showers, I should look into changing my shower head to something more eco-friendly. I also assumed that my toilet was not water-saving, considering the almost comically run-down state of my apartment. Other ways I could reduce water consumption is by taking less than 10 minute showers and filling the sink when I wash dishes. To end positively, my constant use of public transportation is great in reducing the stress on water waste treatment plants since it reduces air pollutants that can affect our water. Also, since I’ve yelled at friends for this before, please don’t ever pour cooking oil down a drain, it’s terrible for your pipes and for the wastewater treatment plants.
Here are the pamphlets and one small nyc.gov article:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/pdf/wwsystem.pdf
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/pdf/environmental_education/activity-water-use-calculation.pdf
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/press_releases/16-008pr.shtml#.W9lm5hNKigQ
Waste Water: The Where and the Why ?
So looking at the map of NYC wastewater treatment plants, I discovered my local wastewater treatment plant on Staten Island is Number 8 in Port Richmond. This plant processes 60 million gallons per day. Upon some internet digging, I learned that it had opened in 1953 and has been processing waste water ever since then, however, not without its faults. It was notorious for some terrible spills including one in 1988 when the wastewater spilled into Kill Van Kull and the NY Harbor. In 2015, this plant had a $30 million dollar upgrade (new boilers and solar panels) to make it both more energy efficient. This also reduces pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, one step closer to the 2050 goal of having a net-zero energy use in the city’s wastewater plants.
Knowing that I thought more about my own water consumption and where I fit into the network of water use in NYC. I thought about how much I use water every day, in the bathroom, kitchen, cooking, etc. I ended up taking two different online calculators to tell me how much my household uses water and had come to the conclusion that my household uses less water (80 per capita gallons of water per day vs the average 207 per capita gallons of water per day) than the average simply due to some everyday practices. For me specifically, my water consumption is pretty low since by nature I take very short and cool showers and limit my everyday water usage. My highest water consumption, aside from bathroom things, is cooking/washing dishes since I cook nearly every day and my plants surprisingly. I’ve always been aware of my water consumption simply because when I go back to the Philippines we have a limited water supply per day and per week. given these situations, I’ve been raised to understand my own personal water consumption on a daily basis.
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