Wednesday, October 08, 2014

Take a Brooklyn Sewage Bike Tour

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Screen Shot 2014-10-07 at 12.41.47 PM
photo courtesy of Brooklyn Public Library
Via Community Board 6 comes news of a Brooklyn Sewage Bike Tour scheduled for Saturday, November 1, 2014 from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM.
Considering all the problems South Brooklyn is facing with our aging sewer infrastructure, this may be of interest to local residents.
More on the tour:

Brooklyn was the first municipality in the United States to treat its sewage with chemicals. Join sewage enthusiasts Matt Malina and Adam Schwartz on a bike tour of Southern Brooklyn to explore this claim to fame. Before the 1880's, Brooklyn piped its sewage into the bay and ocean untreated. But during Brooklyn's fast growth after the Civil War, science revealed the adverse health effects of untreated sewage. As Coney Island was becoming a popular beach destination, the first sewage 'purification' plant was built there in 1885 to protect bathers. Other plants followed in the 20th century, and Brooklyn became a national model of scientific progress. The 14 Water Pollution Control Plants managed by NYC are a legacy of this innovation.

On the tour we will;
- Explore Brooklyn's early sewage network, and the ad hoc way in which it initially  developed
- Bike to 3 sewage plants, 1 storm water retention facility, and one sewage outfall point
- Discuss both the Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) system, and the separate storm water network found throughout South Brooklyn 
- Walk you through the steps of the modern sewage treatment process
The first leg of the tour will be 9 miles. We will ride from the 26th Ward sewage plant to Coney Island. We will then stop at the Stillwell Ave F Train station. Those of you who have had enough sewage for one day have the option to hop on the train.
The second leg of the tour is 10 miles. We will ride from the F Train to the Owl's Head sewage plant. We will then finish up at the Bay Ridge Ave - R Train Station on 4rth Ave.


Rain date for the tour is Saturday, Nov 8.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

$25 to ride your bike? I guess everything's a fundraiser these days but I've never heard of this organization before - "NYC H20" - anyone know anything about them?