Catskill-Delaware Water Ultraviolet Disinfection Facility Explained

Catskill-Delaware Water Ultraviolet Disinfection Facility
Etymology:Catskill Aqueduct, Delaware Aqueduct
Status:Complete
Building Type:Water treatment facility
Location City:Westchester County, New York
Location Country:US
Completion Date:2013
Cost:$1.6 billion USD
Owner:City of New York
Operator:New York City Department of Environmental Protection
Grounds Area:160000square feet

The Catskill-Delaware Water Ultraviolet Disinfection Facility is a 160000square feet ultraviolet (UV) water disinfection plant built in Westchester County, New York to disinfect water for the New York City water supply system.[1] The compound is the largest ultraviolet germicidal irradiation plant in the world.[2]

The UV facility treats water delivered by two of the city's aqueduct systems, the Catskill Aqueduct and the Delaware Aqueduct, via the Kensico Reservoir.[3] (The city's third supply system, the New Croton Aqueduct, has a separate treatment plant.[4])

The plant has 56 energy-efficient UV reactors, and cost the city $1.6 billion. Mayor Michael Bloomberg created research groups between 2004-2006 to decide the best and most cost-effective ways to modernize the city's water filtration process, as a secondary stage following the existing chlorination and fluoridation facilities. The UV technology effectively controls microorganisms such as giardia and cryptosporidium which are resistant to chlorine treatment.[5] The city staff determined that the cheapest alternatives to a UV system would cost over $3 billion. In response to this finding, Bloomberg decided to set up a public competitive contract auction. Ontario based Trojan Technologies won the contract.[6]

The facility treats 2.2abbr=offNaNabbr=off of water per day. The new facility was originally set to be in operation by the end of 2012.[7] The facility opened on October 8, 2013.[8]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Catskill-Delaware Water Ultraviolet Disinfection Facility . New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) . https://web.archive.org/web/20120906070020/http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/dep_projects/cp_catskill_delaware_uv_plant.shtml . September 6, 2012 . dead.
  2. Web site: Trojan Technologies Wins New York City Drinking Water UV Project . Trojan Technologies . London, ON . November 2, 2005.
  3. News: Rueb . Emily S. . How New York Gets Its Water . 2016-03-24 . The New York Times.
  4. Web site: Croton Water Filtration Plant Activated . May 8, 2015 . NYCDEP . Press release.
  5. Korich DG, Mead JR, Madore MS, Sinclair NA, Sterling CR . Effects of ozone, chlorine dioxide, chlorine, and monochloramine on Cryptosporidium parvum oocyst viability . Applied and Environmental Microbiology . 56 . 5 . 1423–8 . May 1990 . 10.1128/aem.56.5.1423-1428.1990 . 2339894 . 184422. 1990ApEnM..56.1423K .
  6. Web site: Municipal Drinking Water - Multi-barrier Disinfection Strategy, New York City (Case Study) . Trojan Technologies . September 1, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120815005350/http://www.trojanuv.com/uvresources?resource=403 . August 15, 2012 .
  7. Greenemeier . Larry . Turning on the Zap: New York City Readies World's Largest UV Drinking-Water Disinfection Plant . Scientific American . August 31, 2012.
  8. Web site: NYC Catskill-Delaware UV Facility Opening Ceremony . Trojan Technologies . 2015-06-13 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150613222036/http://www.trojantechnologies.com/nyc-catskill-delaware-uv-facility-opening-ceremony/.