Bayshore Sewerage Authority Mitigation Protects the Environment

BAYSHORE SEWERAGE AUTHORITY MITIGATION PROTECTS THE ENVIRONMENT

LINCROFT, N.J. — The effect Superstorm Sandy had on the environment was greater than what could be seen with the naked eye. While flooding, storm surges and high winds felled trees, destroyed beaches and dunes, and left waterways filled with debris, the damage the storm did to man-made structures also impacted many already environmentally sensitive areas.

The storm also created other environmental issues. In New Jersey, the Bayshore Regional Sewerage Authority was faced with several problems when its Monmouth County facility was damaged during the storm. The wastewater treatment plant’s main electrical systems were completely shorted out, which also damaged the pumps and stopped the flow of sewage. The facility was without electric power for seven days.

R3M Engineering Project Manager Kevin D. Haney credited FEMA with responding quickly to the problems at the plant. “FEMA’s Category B Program provided funding for the authority to immediately put emergency measures in place to restore flows in the system and protect the community from literally having raw sewage in the streets,” Haney said.

The Door Oliver and Niro incinerators at the Sludge Dewatering and Incineration Building at the plant were both flooded, leaving no way to dispose of the sludge. The authority built a makeshift system of belt filter presses, a rented pump and a makeshift pipe to pump sludge out of the building into dumpsters. The sludge was then hauled away to another incinerator for disposal.

R3M Engineering Manager Manuel Ponte expects one of the incinerators to be operational in January. He pointed out that much of the crucial equipment and infrastructure in water treatment plants is underground, and the basements of all of the facility’s buildings flooded with up to 3 feet of water during Sandy.

Ponte says the authority is working with FEMA to review future mitigation options for the plant.

“What we are proposing to do is to wrap the superstructures in an impermeable membrane, whether it’s synthetic or concrete, depending on how high it has to be and how strong it has to be,” Ponte said.

The authority serves approximately 90,000 people in Hazlet, Union Beach, Holmdel, Aberdeen Township, Keansburg, Keyport, Matawan and parts of Marlboro Township.

A video of the Bayshore Sewerage Authority Mitigation Project is accessible at http://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/videos/86382

http://www.fema.gov/disaster/4086/updates/sandy-one-year-later

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