ABOUT
About the Long Beach Consolidation Project
The Long Beach Consolidation Project (the Project) is a collaborative effort between the Nassau County Department of Public Works and the City of Long Beach, designed to enhance the Western Bays' resiliency and environmental health under the Western Bays Resiliency Initiative. The Project aims to transform the Long Beach Water Pollution Control Plant (Long Beach WPCP) into a fortified diversion pump station, connecting it via an underwater force main to the South Shore Water Reclamation Facility (South Shore WRF) for improved wastewater treatment. The Project will significantly decrease nitrogen levels in Hempstead Bay and Reynolds Channel, addressing detrimental effects on water quality, marsh ecology, and local wildlife caused by excess nitrogen, with the Long Beach facility being a significant source. This improvement promises the regeneration of local ecosystems, supporting the return of vibrant wildlife habitats, which business owners and residents depend on. Furthermore, this initiative will fortify local communities against the effects of coastal storm surges by revitalizing crucial marshlands, which will diminish the impact of storm surges. The Project will foster commercial and residential benefits for the communities’ inhabitants, who rely on the resiliency and environmental health of the Western Bays for their financial, recreational, and living needs.
Project Components
Pump Station
Fortifying the Long Beach WPCP to mitigate a 500-year storm surge is a pivotal component of the Long Beach Consolidation Project, bolstering the wastewater infrastructure to serve the community better. Key improvements include modernizing the electrical system and installing a new emergency backup power system to alleviate outages. The pumps and other critical equipment will be either elevated or submersible to significantly increase their protection from potential floods. The Project also includes expanding the pump station’s flow capacity. These improvements will enhance the facility’s service and reliability during severe weather events.
Force Main
The Project will build a new force main (pressurized pipeline) underneath the Western Bays, connecting the Long Beach WPCP to the South Shore WRF. The Long Beach WPCP will be converted into a diversion pump station and use the force main to convey wastewater to the South Shore WRF for advanced treatment. This new robust and seamless force main will divert nitrogen from the Western Bays, thereby improving the bay’s water quality and increasing the community’s environmental resources.
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Construction involves installing approximately 12,200 linear feet of 24-inch HDPE pipe using Horizontal Directional Drilling techniques encased in 36-inch steel beneath both land and water obstacles. Additionally, approximately 7,000 linear feet of 24-inch Ductile Iron pipe will be laid using the open-cut method. The force main as designed and installed will be extremely resilient to any storm events.
Satellite Pump Stations
The Project will enhance the resiliency of three crucial facilities in Long Beach, identified as the Indiana, New York, and Roosevelt Satellite Pump Stations. Currently, untreated effluent from residential and business areas travel to the Satellite Pump Stations, then to the Long Beach WPCP. Similar to the Long Beach WPCP, these stations are being hardened against a 500-year storm surge through elevation and advanced floodproofing measures, including installing flood barriers and all critical equipment shall be elevated or submersible. This initiative aims to align Long Beach’s wastewater collection system with FEMA standards for critical infrastructure, ensuring uninterrupted wastewater treatment services during extreme weather events.
Project
Benefits
Improved Water Quality
High levels of nitrogen loading in the Western Bays, once a vibrant ecosystem, have greatly decreased the waterbody’s fish and shellfish wildlife, a crucial commercial and residential resource. The Pump Station and Force Main project components will significantly reduce nitrogen levels by diverting nitrogen to the upgraded South Shore WRF to be discharged approximately 2.5 miles offshore to the Atlantic Ocean via the Bay Park Conveyance Project. This initiative will improve water quality, providing residents with greater fishing, recreational, and economic benefits associated with a healthier Western Bays.
Enhanced Storm Protection
The ongoing issues with nitrogen loading in the Western Bays have also weakened coastal resilience, leading to significant coastline erosion. The Long Beach Consolidation Project is set to catalyze the ecological rejuvenation of the Western Bays' marshlands, thereby enhancing natural defenses against storm surges and sea level rise. By restoring these critical marshlands, the project will fortify the coastline, helping to shield local communities from the impacts of extreme weather events and rising sea levels.
Restored Wetlands
The Project’s rejuvenation of Western Bays' wetlands will not only enhance storm protection but also support native wildlife. On Pearsalls Hassock and South Black Banks Hassock (marshlands), the Project aims to restore historic grades and construct new tidal channels. These efforts target the restoration of native habitats conducive to a diverse range of aquatic and terrestrial species, enhancing the area's ecological complexity.
Hassocks Restoration Project
The Nassau County Department of Public Works and the City of Long Beach further elevate their environmental stewardship by leading the Hassocks Restoration Project, which complements the Long Beach Consolidation Project. It is a critical environmental initiative focused on enhancing the resilience and natural habitats of Pearsalls Hassock and South Black Banks Hassock. It will also restore areas disturbed by prior actions. At Pearsalls Hassock, the Project involves removing obsolete sewage infrastructure and creating a 200-foot-long living shoreline to restore coastal salt marsh habitats and stabilize eroding banks. At South Black Banks Hassock, the Project will implement U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ditch remediation strategies to counteract marsh platform subsidence and protect vital wildlife habitats. These nature-based solutions will bolster community resilience against storm surges and enhance the sustainability of local ecosystems.
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