The Port Washington Water Pollution Control District (the District) was established in 1915 as a Special Improvement District under the Town of North Hempstead for the purpose of providing sewer service to the built up areas of Port Washington. The areas presently served by the District include Port Washington, Port Washington North, as well as portions of the Incorporated Village of Baxter Estates and the Incorporated Village of Flower Hill.
The Districts main objective is to protect public health, Manhasset Bay and the environment by the collection and treatment of sanitary waste.
The District provides this sewer service through a wastewater collection system that includes 67 miles of manholes, sanitary sewer pipe ranging in size from 8” to 24” diameter and 17 pump stations. This network of manholes, pipe and pump stations collect and convey the wastewater generated throughout the entire District to the Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) located at 70 Harbor Drive, Port Washington, NY where it is treated and then discharged into Manhasset Bay.
The District also treats the wastewater collected by the Incorporated Village of Manorhaven. The Village of Manorhaven owns and operates their own wastewater collection system. This collected wastewater is conveyed through a Village owned/operated Pump Station and force main which connects directly to the District’s WWTP.
The District’s WWTP is designed for a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (SPDES) permitted flow of 4.0 MGD. The plant provides:
- Preliminary Treatment: The removal of grit, plastics, rags, and other non-organic materials to protect downstream treatment equipment.
- Primary Treatment: This is a physical non-biological treatment to remove suspended or floating material. This is accomplished through the District’s primary settling tanks.
- Secondary Treatment: Secondary treatment is a biological treatment process designed to reduce the amount of organic materials within the wastewater. This is accomplished through the District’s Oxidation Ditch and Final Clarifiers.
- Advanced Treatment: The District’s Oxidation Ditch also performs advanced treatment by greatly reducing nitrogen levels within the wastewater.
- Disinfection: The District utilizes Ultraviolet disinfection to deactivate and destroy bacteria and viruses contained within the treated wastewater (effluent) prior to discharging into Manhasset Bay.
The District’s WWTP is continually providing a quality of final effluent that exceeds NYSDEC requirements.
