The Facts
Opened: 1939 - 40 MGD Primary Treatment.
Upgrades/Additions: 1942 - 40 MGD - Step Aeration, 1958 - 120 MGD, 1971 - 150 MGD
Design Capacity: 150 MGD.
Drainage Area: 15,203 acres, northeast section of Queens
Receiving Waterbody: Upper East River.
Population Served: 848,328. (est.)
Pumping Stations: 12 - Sanitary / Combined, 5 - Storm
Dewatering: on-site central dewatering facility
The Plant
The Bowery Bay treatment plant is located in Astoria, Queens. The plant serves an area of 15,203 acres in northwest Queens.
The Bureau of Sewage Disposal, Department of Public Works was formed on January 1, 1938. This department immediately began designing the Bowery Bay Sewage Treatment Plant to serve residents in Queens. The original Bowery Bay plant was designed to provide primary treatment to a flow of 40 MGD from a population of 308,000. The construction cost was about $5 million. By November 20, 1939, an average of 35 MGD was being treated with suspended solids removal and biological oxygen demand (BOD) removal. Planning for secondary treatment was inaugurated in 1940. A population study in 1940 indicated that the secondary treatment facility should be designed for a population of approximately 400,000. Construction of the secondary facilities began in 1940. By 1947, Bowery Bay was capable of handling 80 MGD. This capability increased to 120 MGD by 1957, when upgrading and enlargement of the plant was completed. By January 1958, 90 MGD was being treated with 90%26#37; BOD removal on step aeration and 70%26#37; BOD removal on modified aeration. In 1973, construction for the upgrading and extension of the Bowery Bay plant to a firm capacity of 150 MGD was initiated. The expanded plant was designed for the expected 2020 population of 920,000 contributing an average flow of 150 MGD. The expanded plant provides primary treatment for 300 MGD (2 times the average flow) and secondary treatment for 225 MGD (1.5 times the average flow). The plant is currently undergoing an upgrade to bilogical nutrient reduction systems.