Nassau County - Long Island, New York

Mangano Announces Major Projects To Repair Bay Park Sewage Treatment Plant

Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano today announced the beginning of critical projects at the Hurricane Sandy-stricken Bay Park Sewage Treatment Plant. The projects begin to address the massive damage done to the plant by Hurricane Sandy, which sent raw sewage spilling into homes in two South Shore Communities.

“My administration is aggressively moving forward with critical repairs to the Bay Park Sewage Treatment Plant,” said County Executive Mangano. “These projects will greatly improve the operations at plant and the quality of life for those who live closest to the facility.”

Among the most critical projects are those that address odor control and power at the plant. Other projects continue to enhance the treatment process at the Bay Park Plant. In addition, County Executive Mangano announced the early success of a pilot program at the Bay Park Sewage Treatment Plant to remove nitrogen from the treated effluent water which could have a tremendous impact on the surrounding waterways. Since put into operation in July, results indicate that more than 80% of the nitrogen is removed from the treated water that was introduced into the system. A full-scale facility could reduce the total amount of nitrogen by 20%.

“With those kinds of numbers it illustrates how far we can go with a full-scale DEMON™ facility at Bay Park,” said County Executive Mangano. “The results are very encouraging.”

Upon taking office, the Mangano Administration invested more than $70 million into the plants to address years of neglect under the prior administration. Progress was significant in the months before Hurricane Sandy’s flood waters overtook the plant, rendering it inoperable for almost two days, and the plant had marked more than one year without a violation from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) - something not seen in years. The facility has been fully meeting all DEC permits since mid-December 2012. These latest projects must be performed for the facility to continue operations.

“When these projects are completed, Bay Park Sewage Treatment Plant will have cutting-edge technology in operation and will once again become a model for other facilities across the U.S.,” said County Executive Mangano.

The projects that are being worked on under the Mangano administration include:

  • A primary settling tank odor control facility. This project will introduce an additional treatment step in controlling odors. Due to the close proximity to the community, it was determined that a second treatment stage would significantly reduce odors emanating from the plant. This is the absolute best available technology for odor control. There is not a plant in the US that does more than this to control odors.

  • A project to replace the odor control system on the aeration tanks will reduce more odors while using fewer chemicals. This is the absolute best available technology for odor control. It is an efficient and green technology that will make a tremendous difference for the people who live here.

  • Equipment has been ordered to replacing a failed control transformer which supplies power to the power plant’s control system. Another project currently underway will overhaul the remaining two engine generators to replace the entire control system for the power plant. Since Sandy, the plant’s temporary generators have been running 24 hours per day, seven days per week, at Bay Park.

  • A contractor has been mobilized and has begun a project to clean and rehabilitate the plants digesters. The digesters were neglected for years and as a result can cause strong and unpleasant odors. During the process, expected to last 16 months, odor controls will be in place. When completed the digesters will run more efficiently and remain at a constant temperature, critical to their ongoing operation.

  • A final tank rehabilitation project. This critical step in the sewage treatment process was compromised when Sandy flood waters rendered all of its mechanical equipment inoperable. While the tanks were addressed and were operable after Sandy, the long-term effects of the saltwater intrusion have caused some of the tanks fail at times. The final tanks, or clarifiers, represent a crucial part of the secondary treatment system, maintaining DEC permits and ensuring the treated effluent does not negatively impact the environment.

The design of improvements to the plant’s Influent Screening Facility is complete and will be put out to bid early next month. The design of improvements to the plant’s Grit Removal Facility is nearing completion and will be in the bidding process soon. The Grit building rehab design is complete and will be in the bidding process soon. Recently, the County Legislature authorized $262 million to begin these repairs; however, Democrat Legislators have withheld their support for the remaining $300 million needed to fully repair the plant.

“We are moving forward aggressively, fixing this plant and addressing the issues that have defined the Bay Park community and beyond for too long,” said County Executive Mangano. “We promised to fix this plant and nothing will stand in the way of delivering on that promise.”