$500M Nassau sewage project a South Shore environmental milestone, officials say

A proposed three-year, $500 million plan to redirect treated sewage 11 miles from Reynolds Channel to the Cedar Creek Treatment Plant in Wantagh is being called one of the most significant South Shore environmental projects in 50 years.

Nassau County officials and the state Department of Environmental Conservation are expected to start next year laying new pipes from the Bay Park Sewage Treatment Plant through East Rockaway, traveling 7.3 miles under Sunrise Highway from Lynbrook to Wantagh and out an ocean outflow pipe at Cedar Creek. 

Nassau County and DEC officials said the project will reroute 55 million gallons of treated sewage pumped daily from Bay Park and remove 99 percent of nitrogen from the Western Bays. The project is funded through state and federal grants and county bonds.

"This innovative project is showing the world the power of investing in building stronger, more resilient infrastructure systems," Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said in a statement to Newsday. "Our partnership with Nassau County on the Bay Park Conveyance Project will help transform, restore and revive Long Island's Western Bays, while helping ensure this vital resource is protected from future extreme weather events and we’re excited about the progress underway."

Officials held the first public hearing Tuesday after issuing 42 letters to property owners about easements needed to tunnel and lay pipe 40 feet underground. Nassau County is expected to hold more public hearings on the project in March. The timing and cost of the project could change depending on designs selected by the county and DEC.

“Long Island’s environment is at a tipping point and requires immediate, corrective action in order to restore Nassau’s water quality and help protect thousands of residents, small businesses and critical infrastructure from the next major storm,” Nassau County Executive Laura Curran said. 

DEC Regional Director Carrie Meek Gallagher said Bay Park serves about one million people and restoring the Western Bays around Reynolds Channel is important for storm protection, shellfish and reef restoration, commercial fishing and recreation.

DEC and the county are accepting a request for qualifications from firms to develop design proposals for the project. The notice of easements may affect seven single-family homes, officials said. 

A time frame has not been set when crews will have to open 23 work zones on Sunrise Highway. Officials are planning mostly night and weekend work, with some 55-hour weekend closures, but are aiming to keep two lanes open in each direction at all times.

Crews are installing a new 60-inch pipe in an existing aqueduct 6 to 8 feet below Sunrise Highway that was previously used by the New York City water system.

"This is, perhaps, the most significant environmental project for Long Island's South Shore in the last 50 years,” said Nassau Legis. Steve Rhoads (R-Bellmore).

Separately, the state and the county are making $820 million in upgrades at Bay Park, including the first step of building a new station to pump treated sewage into the ocean at Cedar Creek.

The county has also entered into an intermunicipal agreement with Long Beach to convert the city’s sewage treatment plant into a pump station and reroute 5 million gallons of raw sewage per day to Bay Park. The county approved a $66.4 million bond that will be combined with a $12.5 million city grant to build new pipe from Long Beach to Bay Park.

The county is also working to convert 600 homes in Point Lookout that use a septic system and connect them to the Long Beach and county sewer system.

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.