Major Environment Project Planned For Bay Park Sewage Treatment

EAST ROCKAWAY — On Thursday — the 51st anniversary of Earth Day — Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a plan to build an outfall pipe for the Bay Park Water Reclamation Facility.

The overhaul calls for supporting Nassau County's western bays, a new pump station and two new main pipes.

"Ambitous, yes," Cuomo said. "Expensive, yes. A lot of work, yes, but essential."

In order to siphon the sewage from the bays to the Atlantic Ocean, pipes will need to be built for miles from Sunrise Highway to the Cedar Creek Water Pollution Control's Plant ocean outfall, Cuomo said.

"This is going to change, fundamentally, the entire south shore in this area," Cuomo said.

When completed, the project will divert up to 75 million gallons of treated water daily from Reynolds Channel and the western bays ecosystem. It's expected to reduce the nitrogen footprint by up to 90 percent.

State Senator Todd Kaminsky, chair of the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee, said: "This game changing project will protect our communities from flooding, purity our water and bolster our local ecological vitality."

The new force main segments will be constructed using microtunneling 20 to 60 feet below the surface.

The Bay Park Conveyance Project was established with $830 million in state and federal funds. Originally called the Bay Park Sewage Treatment Plant, it was built in 1949.

"We are transforming New York to a green economy and a green energy system," Cuomo said.