One of the most complex water treatment facilities has just been turned on in New York City. The Croton Water Filtration Plant is now operational. This is a $3.2 billion dollar filtration facility is hidden under a driving range in the Bronx. The excavated area is the size of Yankee Stadium. The facility can treat up to 290 million gallons of water a day, about a third of what the city needs.
The project has been plagued with cost overruns and construction delays. The city managed to get it turned on just in time before federal penalties kicked in. Regulators forced the construction of the plant because water from the Croton Watershed didn’t meet safety standards. Many in the city were unhappy about the project during construction, but city officials at least are happy now that the plant is in place.
One major reason for the new system is as a backup to their other water supply, the Catskill-Delaware watershed. Officials are worried about increased turbidity from storm runoff up in the mountains due to climate change. Now that the plant is in place, if problems develop in that watershed they can draw more from the Croton. The plant will also help supply the city with water while they perform repairs on their Delaware water system in a few years.
For more information about the specifics on how the plant treats the water, check out the link from the New York Times. If you’re a city planner and you want an inspection of your current watersheds and filtration systems, we can help. Give Metro Water Filter a call.