Long Island Nitrogen Action Plan (LINAP) Newsletter
June 2018

Visit DEC's LINAP webpage for more information about LINAP, past newsletters, documents and more.

This issue's topics:

• Water Reuse at Cedar Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant
• Long Island Regional Planning Council Issues a Request for Qualifications for Nassau County Water Quality Monitoring Analysis and Reporting
• Suffolk County Water Authority Program Encourages Water Conservation

Water Reuse at Cedar Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant

In a joint effort to protect water resources, SUEZ and Nassau County will construct the County’s first water recycling facility at the Cedar Creek Water Pollution Control Plant in Wantagh. By reusing treated effluent, the Cedar Creek plant will preserve up to 300 million gallons of groundwater each year. The plant currently uses about 600 gallons of groundwater per minute for non-potable uses, such as process cooling water and washing down equipment and tanks.

The reuse system instead will take water from the screened plant effluent system and treat it for solids removal and for high-level, multiple-barrier disinfection using chlorination and ultraviolet (UV) disinfection. Then the highly treated effluent will be used for various plant activities including cooling down the generators and washing equipment tanks. The reuse system is expected to be completed in early 2019 and will cost approximately $1.1 million. The cost will be paid entirely by SUEZ.

Plans for a similar water reuse system at the South Shore Water Reclamation Facility (formerly Bay Park) are underway and will be implemented once all ongoing construction and upgrades are completed at the site.

Long Island Regional Planning Council Issues a Request for Qualifications for Nassau County Water Quality Monitoring Analysis and Reporting

The Long Island Regional Planning Council issued a Request for Qualifications (PDF) from organizations and institutions that are interested in participating in projects to collect, analyze and report on water quality data from Nassau County’s south shore surface waters. The project goals are to expand water quality monitoring and provide uniform analysis and reporting. Specific water quality monitoring objectives include: a) fill water quality data gaps, b) document conditions in anticipation of planned wastewater treatment plant nitrogen load reductions, c) document water quality in areas planned for bio-extraction, and d) identify locations for bioremediation initiatives.

A copy of the Request for Qualifications can be found at Nassau County Water Quality Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Request for Qualifications (PDF).

Suffolk County Water Authority Programs Encourage Water Conservation

Suffolk County Water Authority (SCWA) encourages water conservation through its Water Wise program. By purchasing water-saving devices such as low-flow showerheads, faucet aerators and smart irrigation timers, customers become eligible to receive account credits of up to $50. Customers can also sign up for a free Water Wise Checkup, a one-on-one consultation between a customer and an SCWA water use expert. The SCWA expert will help the customer estimate the quantity of water used at each usage point inside and outside the residence, providing the customer with a road map for potential savings. The expert will also show the customer exactly how much water they are using overall compared to the average customer in their neighborhood.