CHRIS LUBICICH, PE, SCDHS

BORIS RUKOVETS, PE, SCDPW

JUNE 6, 2015

Peconic Green Growth’s NoFo BLUE + GREEN Event

SUFFOLK COUNTY

195 WWTPs

- 152 - Private

- 23 - County

- 20 - other Municipal & Industrial

26% Sewered /

74% Unsewered (onsite systems)

Alternative treatment technologies approved by SCDHS as capable of achieving TN of 10 mg/l for systems between 1,000 gpd and 15,000 gpd:

-BESST; SBR; MBR; Chromaglass; NitrexTM; Aqua Point – Bioclere;

WesTech – STM-Aerotor

Alternative treatment technologies for systems < 1,000 gpd with > 50% TN removal are being studied by I/A OWTS Demonstration Program

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GARDINERSISLAND

BLOCK ISLAND SOUND

GARDINERS BAY

BAY

PECONIC

BAY

LITTLE

PECONIC

LONG ISLAND SOUND

GREAT

SHINNECOCK BAY

FLANDERS BAY

M ORICHES BAY

GREAT SOUTH BAY

FIRE ISLAND

SM ITHTOWN BAY

20

miles

100

Sewage Treatment Plants and Sewer Districts

Suffolk County, New York

SUFFOLK COUNTY (cont.)

Ten Towns

- 5 Eastern (Babylon, Brookhaven, Huntington, Islip, Smithtown)

- 5 Western (East Hampton, Riverhead, Shelter Island, Southampton, Southold)

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Why the Fuss? ~1.5 million people, >900 sq miles/600,000 acres Mostly unsewered (>70% of population)

Vulnerable sole source aquifer Diffuse public water supply well network (>1,000 wells) Often relatively shallow (upper glacial aquifer) >40,000 private wells Nitrogen, VOCs, pesticides, pharm./pcp’s, pathogens

Wetlands, surface waters, 3 major estuary systems Groundwater and surface waters are connected All Suffolk estuary systems impaired by NITROGEN Peconics, South Shore Estuary Reserve, Long Island Sound Eutrophication and low dissolved oxygen Mounting evidence suggesting linkage to harmful algal blooms Key factor for wetlands, eelgrass and coastal resiliency

4

Suffolk County’s Water Quality Crisis

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Suffolk County Comprehensive Water Resources Management Plan

Findings: - Dramatic Decline in Health of Ground and Surface Waters - Negative Trends in Quality of Drinking Water - Pollution has caused harmful Algal Blooms, Brown Tide - Impacts include nitrification, impaired water bodies, impaired rivers, closed beaches and devastation of shellfish industry

In aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, it is clear that this significant decline in water quality is a major threat to our region. Nitrogen is public enemy #1

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Harmful Algal Blooms

“While we had hoped we could simply plant seagrass and clams to bring back our bays,” said Carl LoBue, Senior Scientist for the Nature Conservancy, “2013 has taught us that these efforts will only be successful if we can get nitrogen loads under control.”

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360,000 unsewered homes in Suffolk County

• 74% of all homes in Suffolk County are unsewered • The National Environmental Services Center’s historic reference information

indicates that Suffolk County leads the State (and Tri-State region) in the number of individual septic systems, followed by Dutchess County [51,480] and Ulster County [41,927]

Septic Tanks/Leaching Pools in Suffolk County

~80 mg/l TN

~40-50 mg/l mg/l TN

Ammonia converted to Nitrate

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9

Nitrogen Sources in the Great South Bay

atmospheric deposition

21%

sewage treatment

plants 1%

septic/ cesspool systems

69%

agriculture 1%

lawns 7%

golf courses 1%

(source: Kinney, E.L. and Valiela, 2011)

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209,000 Parcels In Priority Areas for Advanced Wastewater Treatment

Nitrogen levels (TN) increasing since 1987 in all aquifers, by ~ 1 mg/l

Avg TN in public water supplies still ~2-4 mg/l (well below MCL of 10)

>98% meet 10 mg/l standard before treatment; 87%<6 mg/l.

Major concerns:

– Surface waters (guideline ~ 0.5 mg/l)

– Private wells (~10% exceed standard)

– Agricultural & unsewered areas (lots <0.5 ac predating Sanitary Code)

Comprehensive Water Resources Management Plan Major Nitrogen Findings

Nearly 10% of samples exceed MCL

SCDHS Evaluation of Nitrates in Public Water Supply Wells Report - April 2014

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Priorities

Suffolk County has identified three priorities for addressing the decline in water quality and the

restoration of our coastal wetlands:

1. Fortify our existing wastewater infrastructure:

Suffolk County’s largest sewage treatment plant, Bergen Point, was close to being compromised during Superstore Sandy. Serving 80,000 households, it is a critical facility.

Suffolk County has previously requested $242 million to replace the plant’s ocean outfall pipe that runs beneath the Great South Bay.

2. Sewer targeted areas:

Removing nitrogen loadings discharged each day into major tributaries which flow directly into the Great South Bay, will prevent further decline of critical coastal vegetation and provide the foundation to restore estuary and bay marshlands.

Suffolk County has identified four priority sub-regions to target:

• Carlls River

• Forge River

• Connetquot River

• Patchogue River

3. Pilot alternative/innovative on-site wastewater treatment systems;

Initiate demonstration project to assist homeowners with improved on-site systems.

Initiate projects for the installation of community-scale innovative/alternative wastewater treatment systems for clusters homes.

State of Maryland

New Jersey Pinelands

State of Rhode Island

Barnstable County, Massachusetts

Available online: http://www.suffolkcountyny.gov/Portals/0/planning/general/Septic_Rd_Shw_FINAL4-28-14.pdf

Area Population

Suffolk County, NY 1,499,273

State of Maryland 5,928,814

NJ Pinelands 870,000

State of Rhode Island 1,051,511

Barnstable County, MA 214,990

Area Land Area (square Miles) Persons per square mile,

2010

Suffolk County, NY 912 1,637

State of Maryland 9,707 595

NJ Pinelands 1,449 600

State of Rhode Island 1,034 1,018

Barnstable County, MA 394 549

Population of Jurisdictions Visited

Land Area vs. Persons per square mile

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SuffolkCounty,

NY

State ofMaryland

NJPinelands

State ofRhodeIsland

CapeCod, MA

# of Septic Systems 360,000 420,000 22,000 150,000 123,000

050,000

100,000150,000200,000250,000300,000350,000400,000450,000

# o

f S

ep

ti S

yst

em

s

Number of Septic Systems In the Areas Visited vs. Suffolk County

Note: The NJ Pinelands is a small area within NJ

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State ofMaryland

NJPinelands

State ofRhodeIsland

BarnstableCounty,

MA

State ofMass.

(IncludingBarnstable

County)

# N-Reducing Septic Systems 5,500 236 5,809 1,600 3,200

01,0002,0003,0004,0005,0006,0007,000

# o

f N

itro

gen

Re

du

cin

g Sy

ste

ms

Inst

alle

d

Number of Nitrogen Reducing Septic Systems Installed In the Areas Visited

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Region Visited N Effluent Requirement for Alt. Systems

State of Maryland 30 mg/l

NJ Pinelands Reduction Based on model to maintain

2 mg/l at property line

State of Rhode Island 19 mg/l

Barnstable County, MA 19 mg/l

Nitrogen Effluent Requirement for I/A OWTS

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REQUEST FOR EXPRESSED INTEREST IN:

A DEMONSTRATION OF INNOVATIVE ALTERNATIVE ONSITE WASTEWATER

TREATMENT SYSTEMS IN SUFFOLK COUNTY

ISSUED: April 14, 2014

Application Due Date: May 16, 2014 (by 12:00 p.m. Noon)

“Suffolk County is seeking applications […] from manufacturers from throughout the nation for the opportunity to showcase and demonstrate single family residential onsite wastewater treatment system technologies in Suffolk County—at no cost to the County or participating homeowners — in an effort to test these systems in local conditions.”

Conditions of the RFEI:

• I/A OWTS (up to five per system) to be provided by the manufacturer free of charge

• All maintenance and warranty costs for five years, with the exception of

electric, to be borne by the manufacturer • All cost of installation to be borne by the manufacturer • Systems need to be certified to National Sanitation Foundation (NSF)

245 standards to be eligible for “fast track” field testing

• Monthly sampling for BOD, TSS and Total Nitrogen (six month required for “fast track” provisional approval), followed by quarterly sampling for the following 18 months

• Systems must be capable of removing 50% nitrogen as compared to effluent from a standard septic tank.

BUSSE Green

Technologies, Inc. Busse MF Membrane Bio Reactor 2 Systems

Hydro-Action

Industries AN series

Extended Aeration

Activated Sludge 5 Systems

Norweco, Inc. Singulair TNT

Extended Aeration

Activated Sludge 5 systems

Hydro-Kinetic

Extended Aeration

Activated Sludge with

effluent filter 5 systems

Orenco Systems, Inc. AdvanTex-AX-RT

attached growth packed

bed reactor 1 System

AdvanTex-AX

attached growth packed

bed reactor 1 System

Systems Selected for the Program:

Systems Selected for the Demonstration Program (cont.):

1.1 ORENCO AdvanTex AX-20RT 1.2 ORENCO AdvanTex AX20

2.1 NORWECO Singulair TNT

3. BUSSE MF

2.2 NORWECO Hydro-Kinetic

4. HYDRO-ACTION AN SERIES

Comp Plan Key Recommendations: Nitrates 1.1 Create & expand sewers district for communities identified as priority areas

1.2 Identify I/A OWTS options for homeowners

1.3 Develop funding/financing for voluntary homeowner upgrades (short-term) & possible mandatory upgrades (long-term) to achieve location-specific criteria

1.4 Promote local industry interest in I/A OWTS

1.5 Determine wastewater treatment technology options by sub-watershed

1.6 Evaluate revision of the Sanitary Code to prohibit the "grandfathering" of sanitary flows without an I/A OWTS or connection to sewers

1.7 Evaluate feasibility of revision of the Sanitary Code to prohibit “replacement in-kind” of failed systems

1.8 Establish Responsible Management Entity to guide wastewater treatment technology implementation

1.9 Facilitate conditions for decentralized sewer districts

1.10 Maintain compliance with 10 mg/l TN effluent at Sewage Treatment Plants

1.11 Continue to reduce N load from homeowner fertilizer applications

1.12 Evaluate feasibility of replicating Riverhead STP re-use of effluent for golf course irrigation

Other Recent Accomplishments

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IBM Smart Cities Report

CrapSHOOT Film Festival

Peconic Green Growth Cluster Feasibility Study (ongoing)

Suffolk County ASRF ¼% - cluster decentralized demos pending

NYS and DEC Wastewater Support

Report on Nitrogen Pollution and Coastal Resiliency $383 Million NYS Funding Award to sewer approx. 10,000 properties

WASTEWATER PLAN ROADMAP (2015-16)

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• Recommended means of wastewater treatment for each parcel • GIS mapping-based; upgrade groundwater model

• Future loads/impacts based on alternatives • Tiered priorities based on subwatersheds

• Sensitivity of receiving waters to loads (surface water assessment) • Attainment of standards or guidelines (D.O., eelgrass, etc.) • Cost-benefit curves may assist

• Pilot communities for preliminary design and costing (extrapolation)

• Model and plan should consider alternatives and other reductions

• Possible funding sources and implementation mechanisms

• Coordinate initiatives with Long Island Sound Study, Peconic Estuary Program and South Shore Estuary Reserve Council