The Facts
Opened: 1986 - 170 MGD
Upgrades/Additions: None
Design Capacity: 170 MGD
Drainage Area: 6,030 acres, west side of Manhattan above Bank Street
Receiving Waterbody: Hudson River
Population Served: 588,772 (est.)
Pumping Stations: 0
Dewatering: no on site dewatering facility, digested sludge transported by boat usually to the Wards Island facility for dewatering.
* First and only Wastewater Treatment Plant in NYC to have a public park built on top.
The Plant
The North River wastewater treatment plant is built on a 28-acre reinforced concrete platform over the Hudson River. It rests on 2,300 caissons pinned into bedrock up to 230 feet beneath the river. The roof of the building is the home of Riverbank State Park, a popular recreational facility with three swimming pools, an amphitheater, an athletic center, a skating rink, a restaurant and sports fields - and the only New York State park facility in the City.
North River has been widely recognized for its innovative design. Its many awards include citations from the Concrete Industry Board, the National Society of Professional Engineers, the New York State Association of Architects, and the City Club of New York. In 1994, the plant received the Water Environment Federation’s Award for Outstanding Achievement in Water Pollution Control for its significant contribution to improving water quality in New York City.
From the first proposal in 1914, seven locations were investigated as possible sites for the construction of a plant to handle the sewage flow from western Manhattan. However, it was not until 1962, after considering several locations, that the City Planning Commission held a public hearing and finally approved the present site for the treatment plant. Design studies were started in the early 1960s and detailed plans were finished in 1971. Construction of the foundation platform was completed in 1978. Construction of the treatment plant went forward in two phases. Work on the advanced preliminary treatment facilities began in 1983; the secondary treatment facilities were started in 1985. In March 1986, advanced preliminary treatment went into operation, eliminating the daily discharge of raw sewage into the Hudson River for the first time in the City’s history. Secondary treatment began in April 1991.
The North River wastewater treatment plant is located on the Hudson River, west of the West Side Highway from 137th Street to 145th Street. The plant provides wastewater treatment for the hundreds of thousands of people who live, work and visit on the west side of Manhattan, from Bank Street in Greenwich Village to Inwood Hill at the island's northern tip. North River treats about 170 million gallons of wastewater every day during dry weather, and it is designed to handle up to 340 million gallons a day during wet weather.