#commissioners corner

[nycwater]

New Yorkers are fortunate to have a highly skilled, trained and dedicated Police Division to protect our water supply system and the lands that surround it. The DEP Police Division was established more than 100 years ago and it maintains specially trained units that include a detective bureau, emergency services unit, canine unit and aviation unit. Last week, we joined together at the Staff Sgt. Robert H. Dietz DEP Police Academy in Kingston, N.Y. to promote eight veteran Environmental Police Officers while also marking the retirement of 21-year veteran Capt. Eugene Sass.

The following lieutenant was promoted to captain:

Capt. Christian R. Gallagher was appointed to the DEP Police in July 2001, and began his career on patrol in the Neversink Precinct. He was selected for the Emergency Services Unit in 2003 where he served as a precision rifleman. He is currently the Grahamsville Precinct Commanding Officer.

The following sergeants were promoted to lieutenants:

Lt. Randall Hurlbert was appointed to the DEP Police in December 2003. He began his career in the Patrol Division and in 2006 he was selected for the Special Operations Division, Aviation Unit.

Lt. Patrick Natale was appointed to the DEP Police in September 1999. He began his career in the Patrol Division and was promoted to Sergeant in January 2003.

Lt. David Wiswall was appointed to the DEP Police in August 1998, and began his career in the Patrol Division. In March 2001 he was promoted to Detective and in June 2004 he was promoted to Sergeant.

The following environmental police officers were promoted to sergeant:

Sgt. Corey Albert was appointed to the DEP Police in March 2007, and began his career in the Patrol Division reporting out of the Hillview Precinct.

Sgt. Brian Beilman was appointed to the DEP Police in December 2005, and began his career in the Patrol Division reporting out of Ashokan Precinct.

Sgt. Jesse Ryan was appointed to the DEP Police in September 2009, and began his career in the Patrol Division reporting out of the Eastview Precinct.

Sgt. Daniel Wahl was appointed to the DEP Police in September 2011, and began his career in the Patrol Division reporting out of the Beerston Precinct.

DEP also celebrated the retirement of Capt. Eugene Sass, who was first appointed to the DEP Police in August 1994. He began his career on patrol in the Ashokan Precinct. He was promoted to Sergeant in 1995, Lieutenant in 1999, and Captain in 2003. Currently the commanding officer of the Special Operations Division, Capt. Sass previously served as the commanding officer of the West-of-Hudson Patrol Division and the Ashokan Precinct Commander. Prior to joining the DEP Police, Capt Sass served in the U.S. Navy for 21 years. The Captain was admired and respected by his colleagues, watershed residents and elected leaders in communities around the water supply system.

To read more and see additional photos go here.

[nycwater]

B.Y.O. NYC Campaign Launch!

Last week, DEP Commissioner Emily Lloyd joined, Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability, Nilda Mesa, and Director of GreeNYC, Roya Kazemi to launch the City’s newest campaign aimed at reducing consumer waste. The campaign, “B.Y.O.,” is part of the GreeNYC initiative to promote living a less disposable life by encouraging the use of reusable mugs, bottles and bags rather than their disposable counterparts.

The New York City Department of Sanitation collects more than 3 million tons of waste annually, including 10 billion single-use bags, 315,000 tons of paper for recycling, and about 800 million bottles of water. On average, Sanitation collects more than 1,700 tons of single-use carryout bags per week, which adds up to more than 90,000 tons per year. Furthermore, paper bags, though easily recyclable in the City’s curbside recycling program, are currently only recycled about 5 percent of the time.

When it comes to single-use plastic bottles here are some interesting facts: It takes roughly 1.5 million barrels of oil a year to produce plastic bottles in the United States—enough to power 250,000 homes or 100,000 cars all year. In New York City we are fortunate to have some of the highest quality tap water on the planet, and it happens to be about 1,000 times less expensive than bottled water.

In addition to beautifying our streets, subway system, parks and, beaches, reducing consumption of disposable coffee cups, plastic bottles and bags will help with the depletion of natural resources, carbon emissions associated with the production and transportation of the items, and the impacts associated with transporting and landfilling the waste. Moreover, using reusable items makes economic sense. For example, it costs the city $12.5 million per year to dispose of single-use carryout bags in landfills outside of the city. 

To encourage New Yorkers to live less disposable lives and reduce the amount of waste that requires landfilling each year, the City is enacting several waste prevention opportunities including designing and installing public water fountains to accommodate reusable bottles, promoting the use of reusable bags through signage, pledges to reuse, and the distribution of reusable bags and water bottles at events throughout the city.

A similar GreeNYC campaign aimed at influencing consumer behavior is already proving effective. The “Stop Junk Mail” tool launched on nyc.gov/greenyc last year has contributed to a total of 5.8 million pounds of consumer paper waste being diverted from the waste stream through New Yorkers opting out of unwanted catalogs and other mail.

GreeNYC is launching the B.Y.O awareness campaign through bus, subway and digital ads, in radio public service announcements, and on billboards and Sanitation trucks reminding New Yorkers to bring reusable mugs, bottles and bags when they’re on the go. GreeNYC is also working with small businesses in all five boroughs, in partnership with the Department of Small Business Services, to encourage them to post signage demonstrating their commitment to improving the environment and remind customers to bring their own mugs, bottles and bags when visiting.

This initiative is part of “One New York: The Plan for a Strong and Just City,” the City’s comprehensive plan for a sustainable and resilient city for all New Yorkers that addresses social, economic, and environmental challenges of all New Yorkers. The plan sets measurable goals for tackling these challenges in the coming years—including sending zero waste to landfills and reducing waste disposal by 90 percent by 2030.

[nycwater]

Commissioner's Corner

Over the last decade, several companies that manufacture sanitary wet wipes have been marketing them as “flushable.” In addition to selling traditional baby wipes that claim to be flushable, these companies have also been advertising wipes aimed at adult consumers. As a result, wastewater treatment plant operators across the country, and around the world, have seen an enormous increase in the amount of non-biological material arriving at wastewater treatment plants and that ultimately ends up in landfills. In New York City, the amount of non-biological waste—cans, trash, plastic bags, etc…has doubled since 2008, and evidence suggests that nearly all of the additional material is sanitary wipes. 

One of the first steps in the wastewater treatment process is screening all of the non-biological solid materials that end up at our 14 treatment plants out of the sewage stream. This can include anything that was improperly flushed down the toilet, along with any leaves, sticks, or litter that is discarded on the street and ends up in our catch basins. The screens occasionally even capture more interesting things, like live turtles that have ventured into the sewer system. Traditional toilet paper is organic and breaks up in the sewer system, harmlessly passing through the screens and removed later in the treatment process. However, sanitary wipes—even those marketed as flushable, tend to be petroleum-based and arrive at the treatment plants intact causing a big headache for plant operators.

Because they don’t break down in water, sanitary wipes clog screens and cause damage to motors, pumps, and other equipment. In addition, there is a cost associated with removing the additional material to landfills. Since companies began marketing these wipes as flushable, DEP’s shipping and landfill costs have increased by as much as $3 million each year. 

Earlier this month, the New York City Council introduced legislation that would prohibit companies from selling wipes that claim to be flushable and impose stiff fines for violators. We have been working closely with the Council on this issue and with industry groups that represent manufacturers to ensure that anything marketed as flushable is not only safe for a homeowner’s plumbing, but also for our wastewater treatment infrastructure and environment.

For many families, especially those with young children, sanitary wipes are an absolute necessity and the intention of this legislation is not to discourage their use. Our goal is to ensure that consumers have the correct information about what can and cannot be flushed down the toilet safely, and that wipes should be discarded in the trash rather than flushed down the toilet.

[nycwater]

Commissioner's Corner

DEP will break ground on a $40 million upgrade to the sewer system that will improve the health of Jamaica Bay. Construction will begin on a new $29 million interceptor sewer in south Ozone Park that, when completed, will provide significant additional capacity within the area’s drainage system and reduce sewer overflows into Bergen Basin.  In addition, at a cost of $11 million, later in the spring DEP will begin work to install three hydraulic levees at key junction points within the area’s sewer network that will optimize the carrying capacity of the pipes during rain storms and reduce sewer overflows into both Bergen Basin and Thurston Basin.  Modeling shows that taken together, the two projects will ensure that an additional 300 million gallons of combined sewer flow are routed to the Jamaica Wastewater Treatment Plant each year, where it will be treated to Federal Clean Water Act standards, rather than being discharged into the tributaries of Jamaica Bay.  

Currently, two 36-inch sewer lines carry combined flow from North Conduit Avenue, under the Belt Parkway, to 150th Street and 126th Avenue, where it connects to a 72-inch sewer line which brings the flow to the Jamaica Wastewater Treatment Plant.  Due to increased development in southern Queens, the twin 36-inch sewers no longer have sufficient capacity to carry the combined flow generated north of the Belt Parkway and act as a bottleneck in the areas drainage system.  During heavy rain, the bottleneck causes Combined Sewer Overflows (CSO) to be discharged into Bergen Basin.  To relieve this bottleneck DEP will build a parallel 48-inch sewer under the Belt Parkway.  It is anticipated that this new sewer line will reduce CSOs into Bergen Basin by 135 million gallons each year. 

To further reduce CSOs into Bergen Basin, as well as into Thurston Basin, at a cost of $11 million DEP will install three hydraulic levees, or bending weirs, at key points in the areas sewer system to optimize the capacity of the pipes to store the combined flow during rain storms.  During rain storms, the weirs will be kept in an upright position by counter-balanced weights.  This will hold the flow in the pipe until there is enough pressure to force it down, which is only expected to occur during intense rain storms.  Once the rain storm has passed, the flow will continue on and be treated at the Jamaica Wastewater Treatment Plant.  Installation of the three weirs is expected to reduce CSOs into Bergen Basin by 65 million gallons each year and into Thurston Basin by 102 million gallons a year. To view maps and renderings of this latest project to improve the health of our waterways, click here.

[nycwater]

Commissioner's Corner

New, critically important DEP facilities, such as the Catskill/Delaware Ultraviolet Treatment Plant, have come on-line over the last few years, and others, such as the Croton Filtration Plant, will soon enter service. This means that the amount of energy consumed by the department’s operations will continue to grow, as will our carbon footprint. In order to meet the City’s emissions reduction targets and improve air quality, we must look to mine the clean, renewable energy opportunities available throughout our vast system.

DEP maintains a system of 19 protected reservoirs and three controlled lakes that impound 580 billion gallons of water at full capacity. Built in the Catskill mountains, the reservoirs in the West-of-Hudson watershed lie well above sea level. To reach New York City and the more than 70 upstate communities that draw from the system, water is conveyed from the reservoirs through aqueducts where it travels upwards of 100 miles by the power of gravity alone. Water is also regularly released from the reservoirs into rivers to support recreation, aquatic habitats, and maintain flow targets necessary for downstream water utilities.

The genius of the planners and engineers who designed these drinking water collection and gravity-driven delivery systems is not lost on anyone at DEP. Not only does it allow us to deliver more than 1 billion gallons of water each day without the use of pumps, it also offers multiple opportunities to harness the inherent power produced by the water as it moves through the system.

After many years of study and planning, DEP recently received a license from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to build a hydroelectric facility at Cannonsville Reservoir, and construction of the plant could begin as early as 2016. The facility will comprise four hydroelectric turbines situated inside a 9,000-square-foot powerhouse that will generate an estimated 42,281 megawatt hours of electricity each year­—enough to power roughly 6,000 homes. At the same time, it will avoid the emission of 25,620 metric tons of greenhouse gases—the equivalent of removing 5,400 vehicles from the road; and is also expected to generate approximately $2 million in annual revenue, depending on demand and the market price of electricity.

The facility will also have a positive impact in the Delaware watershed that surrounds Cannonsville Reservoir, including helping to hold down electric costs by displacing an equivalent amount of generation from higher-cost, fossil-fuel fired sources. This not only reduces the emission of pollutants from burning fossil fuels, but also tends to reduce the overall wholesale market price of energy. The project is also expected to create approximately 60 construction jobs and as many as five full-time green jobs for those who will operate the plant.

I’d like to thank Anthony Fiore, DEP’s Director of Energy, as well as Robie Craig with the Bureau of Legal Affairs and Rob Principe, Todd West and Tom DeJohn with the Bureau of Water Supply who have done all the analysis and put together the successful application for this important project. For more information go here.