The New York City Department of Environmental Protection completed a $155 million modernization of the Coney Island Wastewater Resource Recovery Facility in southern Brooklyn, replacing the plant's main sewage pumping system to improve reliability and reduce energy use.
The upgrade is part of the city's ongoing investment in wastewater infrastructure and was completed following a five-year construction project without interrupting service for nearly 600,000 residents.
The project replaced pumps that move up to 220 million gallons of wastewater a day through the treatment process during storms and about 110 million gallons a day under normal conditions. It also included upgrades to the facility's mechanical, electrical, ventilation and control systems.
"The Coney Island Wastewater Resource Recovery Facility paved the way for cleaner water and beaches across the city and this $155 million investment at the City's very first treatment plant honors its legacy as the starting point of modern wastewater treatment in New York," said DEP Commissioner Lisa F. Garcia.
The new pumping system uses 20% less electricity, reducing operating costs and greenhouse gas emissions. According to the city, the emissions reduction is comparable to removing 109 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles from the road.
The facility serves a 15,000-acre service area across southern and central Brooklyn.
The investment helps protect Brooklyn's waterways, coastline and public health while improving the reliability of infrastructure that has served the borough for generations. The facility has been part of the city's wastewater system since 1886, when New York City's first wastewater treatment plant opened there to improve water quality at Coney Island's beaches.
The modernization is designed to help the plant continue meeting environmental standards while supporting the community for years to come.
A key part of the project was replacing pumping equipment that had operated continuously for more than 30 years. The upgraded system is expected to provide more dependable service while lowering energy consumption and emissions, making the facility more efficient over the long term.
With construction complete, the facility will continue treating wastewater from homes, schools, businesses and factories before returning cleaned water to local waterways. It also supports the city's broader wastewater network, which treats about 1.3 billion gallons of wastewater a day at 14 wastewater resource recovery facilities.
