Protecting Long Island's precious natural resources is our priority. As such, we continually look for ways to make wastewater treatment sustainable.
Water reuse
In 2019, a water reuse system went in service at Cedar Creek. This system has reduced groundwater use at the plant from roughly 4 million gallons per week to 500,000 gallons per week, a savings of 300 million gallons per year. Veolia is currently creating a water reuse system at the South Shore Water Reclamation Facility that will preserve another 60 million gallons of groundwater each year.
Putting waste to good use
Centrifuges at both Cedar Creek and South Shore help to further dewater sludge, which means fewer trucks are needed to haul the mess away. With additional treatment, some of the sludge can be processed into Class A biosolids which can used for land application on farms. A portion of the sludge from Cedar Creek is being processed into Class A biosolids at a facility on Long Island, which helps support the local economy.
Restoring the Bays
When too much nitrogen is introduced into the waterways, algae growth accelerates faster than the ecosystem can handle. Oxygen in the water is reduced, harming fish and other aquatic life. In order to do our part to help reduce the amount of nitrogen being introduced in Reynolds Channel by the South Shore Water Reclamation Facility, Veolia is working on several projects to further reduce nitrogen in our effluent. These include a biological nutrient removal (BNR) project launched in 2020 that has reduced the nitrogen being put into the receiving waters by 40%. Additionally, a sidestream treatment project that will remove nitrogen from centrate from the dewatering process is currently in startup testing.
Bay Park Conveyance Project
New York State and Nassau County are also working on the Bay Park Conveyance Project, which takes treated effluent from South Shore Water Reclamation Facility and reroutes it to Cedar Creek's ocean outfall, further reducing the nitrogen load entering the Western Bays. Veolia is not involved in the construction of this project, but will operate the system when it is complete. Questions about the project can be sent to [email protected].
Don't flush that
The sewer system needs to be treated with care in order to keep it running and keep sewage from backing up into your homes and businesses. How can you help? Be mindful of what you’re sticking down the drain. Okay to flush: Toilet paper, Human waste, And….that’s about it. Never flush: “Flushable” wipes. These heavily-marketed products don’t break down and cause tons of clogs in the system. Medications. Medication should be taken to a participating pharmacy or police precinct for disposal. Flushing meds may seem like an easy fix, but doing so can harm wildlife and can lead to drugs getting into your drinking water. Dental floss. It gets tangled around other things that inevitably go down the drain (like hair from the shower) and can cause all sorts of clogs. Toys. Make sure your kids know not to flush anything that doesn’t belong in the toilet. Grease. If you have leftover cooking grease in your home, dump it into an empty can, let it cool and dispose of it in the trash. Grease can also cause major buildup in the sewer system. Restaurants are required to dispose of their cooking grease properly or they can be fined. Rags. A no no. Tampons: Yup. Not really flushable either. Basically if you are wondering “Can I flush this?” the answer is more than likely no.