The Facts
Opened: 1937 - 180 MGD Activated sludge
Upgrades/Additions: 1979 - 250 MGD, Step Aeration
Design Capacity: 275 MGD
Drainage Area: 12,056 acres, western section of the Bronx and upper east side of Manhattan
Receiving Waterbody: Upper East River
Population Served: 1,061,558 (est.)
Pumping Stations: 4 - Sanitary / Combined, 2 - Storm.
Dewatering: on-site central dewatering facility. Digested sludge from the North River Plant, and sometimes from Rockaway, Newtown Creek and Owls Head dewatered here.
The Plant
The Wards Island plant is located on Wards Island in the borough of Manhattan. The plant serves the western section of the Bronx and the Upper East Side of Manhattan.
In 1914 a treatment plant was proposed for Wards Island. However, no action was taken until 1927 when the State Legislature released a 52 acre tract on Wards Island to the City. Actual construction started on this plant in June 1931. By the beginning of 1933, work on the first two contracts was substantially completed. However, by this time, the financial situation of the City delayed any further work. It was not until late 1935 that work resumed with the aid of a Federal Public Works Administration Grant. At the time of its dedication by Mayor Fiorella H. LaGuardia on October 23, 1937, only 25 months after the resumption of construction, the plant was substantially complete with all the facilities necessary to place it in operation. The original plant had many features that were noteworthy in its day, and even today. Among those features are: the Manhattan intercepting sewer that is 6 3/4 miles long, and the tunnel from the Manhattan Grit Chamber that drops 520 feet below the East River. This tunnel was believed to be longest tunnel in the world to have been built under compressed air at that time. The original plant served with a few minor modifications until an upgrade and expansion in 1979 increased its capacity from 190 MGD to 250 MGD. The plant was re-rated in 2003 to a capacity of 275 MGD. Future upgrade to bilogical nutrient reduction systems are planned.