New York environmental dep completes upgrade works at treatment plant

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) has completed a $12.5m project to modernise a wastewater treatment plant located on the Neversink River in Port Jervis.

The plant, owned by the city, has the capacity of 2.5 million gallons per day and serves about 9,400 residents and businesses.

Modernisation works performed at the Port Jervis plant include the replacement of outdated and aging sewage treatment tanks and sludge drying beds and the construction of a new pump building and two primary settling tanks.

NYCDEP Commissioner Carter Strickland said that modernising the Port Jervis wastewater treatment plant is part of the department’s effort to maximise the efficiency and reliability of wastewater operations throughout all of its in-city and upstate facilities.

"Our upstate reservoirs and the rivers and streams that supply them not only provide water to nine million New Yorkers, but also serve as the source of water for parts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey," Strickland said.

"This project will help the communities within those states that rely on the Delaware River for drinking water to get the best water possible."

The city also installed two new sludge thickener tanks, a sludge holding tank and an odor control system at the plant. It added new electrical systems, as well as an emergency back-up generator.

The modernisation works are expected help protect the water quality of both the Neversink River and the Delaware River immediately downstream.

Image: The modernisation work at the Port Jervis wastewater treatment plant will help protect the water quality of both the Neversink River and the Delaware River immediately downstream. Photo: Daniel Case.