FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE11-10
February 10, 2011
CONTACT:
Farrell Sklerov / Angel Román (718) 595-6600
DEP Completes Upgrades and Safety Improvements in Two Upstate Wastewater Treatment Plants
Projects Will Help Protect Water Quality in Grahamsville and Margaretville
Environmental Protection Commissioner Cas Holloway today
announced the completion of a $7.4 million project to upgrade two city-owned
wastewater treatment plants at Grahamsville in Sullivan County, and
Margaretville in Delaware County. The upgrades will help protect water quality
in the Delaware watershed, which supplies more than half of the city's daily
drinking water needs. At the Grahamsville Wastewater Treatment Plant, an
ultraviolet chemical-free disinfection process replaced the chlorine-based
chemical disinfection process as part of treating local wastewater. Ultraviolet
light will eliminate the use of chemicals that were previously used to
inactivate disease-causing organisms before the wastewater is discharged to
Chestnut Creek, a tributary that flows to the Rondout Reservoir. Safety
improvements were made to both plants and included installation of propane
shut-off systems and fire and gas detection alarm systems, which help better protect workers at the plants and assist local fire and rescue responders.The Grahamsville plant serves approximately 800 residents and the Margaretville Wastewater Treatment Plant serves about 1,300 residents.
"New York City is one of only five large cities to have an unfiltered water
supply," said Commissioner Holloway. "Keeping it that way requires continuous
investments in the best technologies — like ultraviolet disinfection — to
improve the treatment of upstate wastewater. DEP provides wastewater treatment
to more than 20,000 people in 12 upstate communities as part of our efforts to
protect the drinking water that nine million New Yorkers rely on every day.
Projects like this also increase protection for local waterways like Chestnut
Creek, which are critical to the quality of life for communities in the city's
watershed."
"The Margaretville Wastewater Treatment Plant helps protect the water quality
of the East Branch of the Delaware River and the Pepacton Reservoir in the Town
of Middletown. Both water bodies not only supply water to New York City but are
great places to fish," said Town of Middletown Supervisor Len Utter. "The safety
improvements made at the plant will help preserve water quality and ensure the
safety of Town of Middletown residents and emergency responders. This updated
plant also provides the residents of the Town of Middletown with a
state-of-the-art system for disposal of their wastewater."
"The Town is pleased that DEP has upgraded their Grahamsville Wastewater
Treatment Plant to eliminate the chemicals that may have been harmful to the
quality of the water in the Chestnut Creek," said Town of Neversink Supervisor
Greg Goldstein. "The safety measures that have been taken by DEP will help
ensure the safety of our fire and rescue responders in the case of an emergency
at the wastewater treatment plant, as well as the employees. We appreciate the
continuous efforts that are being made by DEP to improve and maintain the
quality of our water."
With the completion of the upgrade, all of city's five wastewater treatment
plants that discharge within the city's unfiltered Catskill/Delaware Watershed
now use the ultraviolet disinfection process. Ultraviolet light at
special-designed wave lengths disrupts the DNA of viruses and bacteria that may
have escaped removal by the other treatment processes such as bio-degradation,
settling, and filtration, while leaving almost no chemical trace or disinfection
byproducts behind. Safety improvements such as alarm and shut-off systems at
each plant will address regulatory compliance standards and employee safety and
health concerns. Additionally, the installation of ultraviolet disinfection will
reduce overall operating costs as well as maintenance-related and health and
safety operational costs.
Watershed protection is considered the best way of maintaining drinking water
quality over the long term. New York City's program, one of the most
comprehensive in the world, has been so successful at protecting the integrity
of its water supply that the Environmental Protection Agency awarded the City a
10-year Filtration Avoidance Determination in 2007. Since 1997, the City has
invested more than $1.5 billion in watershed protection programs, including
nearly $55 million to help homeowners repair or replace failing septic systems,
and nearly $125 million to construct new wastewater infrastructure in
communities with concentrated areas of substandard septic systems. The success
of these programs is a main reason why New York City remains one of only five
large cities in the country that is not required to filter the majority of its
drinking water.
DEP manages the City's water supply, providing more than 1 billion gallons of
water each day to more than nine million residents, including eight million in
New York City, and residents of Ulster, Orange, Putnam and Westchester counties.
Approximately 1,000 DEP employees live and work in the watershed communities as
scientists, engineers, surveyors, and administrative professionals, and perform
other critical responsibilities. New York City's water is delivered from the
Catskill, Delaware, and Croton watersheds that extend more than 125 miles from
the city and comprises 19 reservoirs, and three controlled lakes. The DEP police
protect the watershed and its facilities, which include seven city-owned
wastewater treatment plants.For more information, visit www.nyc.gov/dep or follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/nycwater.
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