Gotham JA Miele, Sr, PE

Water conservation cleans Long Island Sound, RL Swanson, DJ Tonjes

Marine vessels serving New York City, W Goyzueta, J Chen, K Byrnes, R Ferro

Line stops avoid bypass in pumping station, F Gallo

Pilot biological nutrient removal, B Bodniewicz, K Mahoney

Enhanced beach protection — 2000, FJ Oliveri, F Loncar, M Ellis

Telemetering in New York, S Rozelman, S Aziz

Job order contracting, MP Quinn, P Schrayer

Operational benefits of celebrating Water Week, RE Adamski, H Einsohn, M Keating, A Lamarche, B Olivieri

CSO signage: expanded notification, S Rozelman, P Lutz, F Loncar

Brooklyn student wins water prize

Executive director's message, P Cerro-Reehil

People and places

Summer 2001 — Vol. 31, No. 2

It is a great honor to have CLEARWATERS dedicate so much of this edition to the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and its wastewater collection and treatment efforts. Among the Department's most important tasks are the delivery of excellent quality drinking water and the efficient treatment of wastewater. From beginning to end, our aim is to protect the environment—at the sources of the drinking water and throughout the harbor waters that receive the effluent from our fourteen wastewater treatment plants.

As the articles in this issue of CLEARWATERS attest, DEP is continually working on innovative solutions to problems that may occur in the processes of collecting and treating sewage and storm water. Our pilot studies and programs put us at the technological forefront of wastewater management and serve not only New York City, but also the industry. What our engineers, scientists and operators learn from such programs is published in CLEARWATERS and other publications, so that other wastewater treatment facility operators can benefit from our experience and utilize or adapt these innovations in their own operations. Similarly, we learn by reading about the experiences and programs of our fellow members of NYWEA.

The harbor waters of New York City, however, are the prime beneficiaries of our innovations. For over 90 years, the City has been monitoring water quality in its harbor and, in more recent years, the Harbor Water Quality Survey has been an invaluable tool for assessing the effectiveness of our various water pollution control programs. The report for 2000 demonstrates the continued improvement of the City's waterways and the regeneration of their aquatic systems. In fact, the Harbor is in better shape today than it has been in more than 30 years. The City's advanced wastewater treatment and pollution prevention programs are clearly producing positive results. Our bathing waters are cleaner, and our aquatic environment is flourishing.

In this issue of CLEARWATER, you will read about some of the innovations and programs developed by DEP's Bureau of Wastewater Treatment, often in association with our Bureau of Environmental Engineering and our consultants.

• With nitrogen identified as the prime nutrient
encouraging growth of algae in harbor waters, particularly in Long Island Sound, DEP consulted with Metcalf & Eddy to design, construct, and operate several nitrogen removal pilot units. The findings from these studies demonstrate practical ways to reduce nitrogen in wastewater effluent through maximization of existing secondary treatment infrastructures.
• Keeping 89 pumping stations under continuous
surveillance in a large City like New York could be a monumental task. Our interconnected telemetry system has reduced dramatically the amount of raw sewage bypassed to the harbor, the response time to pumping station failures, and the duration of the bypasses.
• Under the Combined Sewer Overflow Outfall Sign
Program, DEP is placing signs at combined sewer overflow discharge points, which enable boaters and other citizens to notify DEP whenever a dry weather discharge is taking place, thereby giving us thousands of extra eyes watching the city's outfalls.
• When valves at the Manhattan Pumping station
required replacement, it appeared that a bypass releasing raw sewage to the harbor might be necessary while repairs were made. Our research identified a new technology that allowed for the continuous operation of the pumping station, thereby saving the harbor from an infusion of sewage.
• Our Enhanced Beach Protection Program provides
heightened monitoring of potential sources of pollutants, with the result that no beach closures due to Collection Facilities occurred during the 2000 swimming season.
• Marine vessels serving the City perform a variety
of tasks that help us in our operations—from hauling sludge to dewatering facilities to the Harbor Water Quality Survey, from shoreline survey and sentinel monitoring to floatables collection throughout the harbor.

Again, we are honored to have CLEARWATERS devote so much attention to our programs and hope that knowledge of our experiences will benefit other members of this great industry.

Joel A. Miele, Sr., PE
Commissioner, NYCDEP