Mangano, Legislature continue overhaul of Bay Park Plant

The Nassau County Legislature approved more than $3 million in contracts on April 4 to bring necessary equipment and upgrades to the Bay Park Sewage Treatment Plant to end the illegal sewage discharge into Reynolds Channel, which many residents, as well as local and county officials, have declared a grave environmental health hazard.

Last fall, the Bay Park plant was cited for numerous violations by the state Department of Environmental Conservation after it was discovered that the plant had been releasing partially treated sewage in greater concentrations than allowed by environmental law for months. Nassau County officials attributed the problem to malfunctioning equipment at the plant.

The brown plumes of effluent released into the channel sparked an outcry from residents, who called on local and state officials to address the situation. In January, DEC officials said the plant had taken steps to limit the discharge of partially treated solids, and the recent discharge has been below or very close to legal limits.

Following months of criticism by residents, elected officials and environmentalists, the Legislature unanimously approved four separate contracts, totaling $ 3.4 million, for facility upgrades, which county officials said is a step in the right direction in repairing the treatment plant.

“These repairs are critical to the overall condition and operability of the plant,” said County Executive Edward Mangano in a statement. “We will stop at nothing as we repair the Bay Park Sewage Treatment Plant.”

One of the contracts is a two-year, $2.2 million deal with WHM Plumbing & Heating Contractors. The work will include the replacement of effluent water strainers and the installation of new above-ground tanks, in addition to the replacement of main engine generator cooling valves and the installation of temporary equipment during repairs.

Legislators also approved a $705,000 contract with Synagro Northeast Inc. to lease gravity belt thickeners — which separate solids from wastewater — to help mitigate the discharge. The lease will run through Dec. 31. Legislators, in addition, approved a $132,000 contract to provide labor and supplies for electrical work at the plant.

Legislator Howard Kopel, who represents both the Bay Park and East Rockaway communities — as well as parts of Oceanside and Island Park — praised the county for the approval of contracts that he said will ensure for long-term repairs to the plant.

“After more than a decade of neglect by the previous administration, it’s refreshing to see government working to better the plant,” Kopel said.  “This funding is sorely needed and can’t come too soon.”

The Legislature’s action comes after a March 1 meeting at the Long Beach Public Library, where Nassau County Department of Public Works Commissioner Shila Shah-Gavnoudias, along with other DPW officials, provided an update on the improvements made at the Bay Park Plant. She explained that two out of three of the Bay Park plant’s grit tanks are now operational, that a contractor is being sought to undertake a complete rehabilitation of all eight primary tanks, and that the plant’s 10 final tanks are now all operational.

The Legislature’s approval of contracts also comes on the heels of U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer’s announcement in December that the Environmental Protection Agency plans to release $11 million in grant money that was awarded to Nassau County in the mid-1980s to help reimburse $20 million in upgrade work done at Bay Park and at the Cedar Creek sewage treatment plant in Wantagh.

County Legislator Denise Ford (R-Long Beach) commended Mangano for his efforts to repair the plant, and said she has confidence that the contracts will fund enough repairs to prevent future discharge issues. “For too long our Western Bays have been ignored,” Ford said. 

Mangano’s office did not offer a comment on how long it will take for the contracted work to begin.