FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE10-22
March 9, 2010
CONTACT:
Michael Saucier/Mercedes Padilla (718) 595-6600
DEP Opens New Microbiology Lab at Newtown Creek Plant
New Facility Will Streamline and Enhance Operations of Harbor Water Quality Monitoring
Environmental Protection Commissioner Cas Holloway today
announced the opening of a new $2.3 million microbiology laboratory that will improve operational efficiency and enhance monitoring of local waterways. The lab will consolidate bacteriological analyses for all 14 New York City wastewater treatment plants, increase DEP’s ability to compare test results across its facilities, and help achieve the highest levels of pollutant removal and disinfection from the 1.3 billion gallons of wastewater that New Yorkers produce every day. The new lab will also allow for a significant increase in the number of water samples that can be analyzed with existing staff.
“One of our core responsibilities is to make sure that wastewater is
effectively treated, so that it has as little impact on our receiving waterways
as possible,” said Commissioner Holloway. “This new microbiology lab will
substantially increase our monitoring and testing capacity, giving us the vital
information we need to meet and exceed treatment standards, and continue the
resurgence of New York City’s waterways that is central to Mayor Bloomberg’s
PlaNYC vision.”
The new lab, located at Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant in Brooklyn,
will streamline testing procedures and optimize quality control. Until now,
testing was individually performed at the City’s 14 wastewater treatment plants
by certified operators. Now, existing staff that has been relocated to the new
lab will be able to analyze multiple samples at once, greatly increasing the
number of analyses that can be performed daily. Beginning this summer, DEP will
also begin to take additional bacteriological samples each month within Jamaica
Bay to assess water quality. In addition, DEP will monitor several tributaries
to evaluate ambient improvements resulting from combined sewer overflow
retention investments.
The lab will also allow DEP microbiologists to more efficiently monitor
microorganisms at the wastewater treatment plants to ensure that all regulatory
requirements are effectively met. The 2,000 square-foot microbiology lab
includes modern equipment such as incubators, sterilizers, purification systems,
balances, conductivity meters, and colony counters. Microscopes with video
displays tied to computers will be used to capture and magnify images.
DEP manages the City’s water supply, providing more than 1 billion gallons of
water each day to more than 9 million residents, including 8 million in New York
City. New York City’s water is delivered from a watershed that extends more than
125 miles from the City. Approximately 7,000 miles of water mains, tunnels and
aqueducts bring water to homes and businesses, and 7,400 miles of sewer lines
take wastewater to 14 in-City treatment plants.