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Light Rain Will Bay Park sewage smell stop soon?
Plant's electrical, odor-control systems being upgraded
Construction continues inside and outside the Bay Park Sewage Treatment Plant, as upgrades that began in July continue to be put in place.
Much of the work being done at the plant, which was severely damaged by a 9-foot tidal surge during Hurricane Sandy in 2012, is around its exterior. There are six construction jobs under way, including cleaning, a complete rebuilding of the electrical system, a new dewatering facility, improvements to the plant’s odor-control system, and other smaller jobs.
The repairs and upgrades will be a long and expensive process. The County has secured roughly $830 million, and construction is expected to continue for years. “Repair and construction efforts will be ongoing at Bay Park for the better part of a decade,” county spokesman Mike Martino said.
The perimeter of the plant will be protected by a walled structure known as a berm. Designed to help keep water away from the plant, it will be made of concrete, clay and earth. To enhance its appearance, a decorative wall will run along the south side of the plant, and new trees and shrubs will replace those destroyed during construction.
The top of the berm will be 18 feet above sea level — from three to 10 feet above the ground. Deputy Nassau County Executive Rob Walker said that it would help keep the plant safer and stronger, and help guard it against future storms.
The plant’s electrical system, which was destroyed by Sandy, will no longer be powered by temporary generators, since an entirely new system is being put in place. The plant will generate its own power, using permanent generators and substations that are now under construction. Large conduits for electrical wiring are also being installed, and the underground wiring will be protected by a cement enclosure.
Residents who have long been bothered by the smell of the damaged plant should also soon find relief. “We know you’ve had to endure the smell and everything else,” Walker said at a press conference outside the plant last summer. “The odors will be dealt with.”
