When you take a shower or flush your toilet, do you ever wonder where the used water goes? Enter the lottery for a chance to find out on a behind-the-scenes tour of Owls Head, one of the city’s 14 Wastewater Resource Recovery Facilities (WRRFs) with the NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
The Owls Head WRRF has operated in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn since 1952. The facility serves almost 800,000 Brooklyn residents and processes 120 million gallons of wastewater on a typical day. At Owls Head and the city’s other WRRFs, wastewater undergoes five major processes of treatment, closely mimicking how wetlands, rivers, and lakes naturally purify water.
On this tour, hosted by Plant Chief Jagat “Yogi” Kemraj and Process Engineer Jayne Beckmann, visitors will learn how DEP processes over a billion gallons of wastewater a day, turning it into clean water and renewable resources. Visitors will follow the flow of wastewater through the treatment process, learning about the biological processes at work, and taking in world-class views of New York Harbor – the very waterbody the Owls Head WRRF protects.
This program is part of Water Works, a new yearlong series exploring the city’s water systems and our connections to water. The series is produced with lead agency partner NYC Department of Environmental Protection and with support from the National Endowment for the Arts.