The Facts
Opened: 1952 - 15 MGD.
Upgrades/Additions: 1962 - 30 MGD, 1975 - 45 MGD.
Design Capacity: 45 MGD.
Drainage Area: 6,259 acres, Rockaway Peninsula
Receiving Waterbody: Jamaica Bay.
Population Served: 90,474 (est.)
Pumping Stations: 4 - Sanitary / Combined.
Dewatering: no on site central dewatering facility. Digested sludge transported by boat to the 26th Ward facility for dewatering.
The Plant
The Rockaway plant is located in the Rockaway section of Queens. The plant serves an area of 6,259 acres.
The Rockaway Water Pollution Control Plant was constructed in two stages. The first stage was built in 1951 with a capacity to treat an average flow of 15 MGD. The second stage, constructed in 1962, provided modifications to the original facilities and increased the capacity to 30 MGD with a hydraulic capacity to pass a maximum flow of 60 MGD. In 1971, the design modifications for expansion and upgrading were completed. The expanded plant was designed for expected year 2020 flows of 45 MGD from a contributing population of 225,000.