我的水

“差不多两年了, 在安大略湖水面下165英尺处, 一个巨大的“鼹鼠”稳稳地雕刻了一英里长, 直径9英尺的隧道穿过坚固的基岩.”

That may sound like the coming attraction for a new science fiction motion picture, but it accurately describes a key part of the 门罗县水务局’s East Side 水的供应 Project that, 就像一部好的科幻电影, 也挑战一个人的想象力.

从2013年年中开始, the giant tunnel began drawing up to 50 million gallons a day of fresh lake water for the new Webster 水处理 Plant, now co-exists with the west side Shoremont Treatment Plant to supply water to the Authority’s 50 area communities.

This second major source of Lake Ontario water provides added reliability and critical redundancy to our community’s main supply of fresh water, 实现了20世纪50年代最初设想的目标. 新工厂上线了, planned or unplanned maintenance and repairs can be made without relying exclusively on water stored in the Water Authority’s carbon footprint.

Having treatment plants on both sides of Monroe County also eliminates the need for several substantial booster pumps that have been used to deliver water to the east side. 基本上, the two-source configuration means that water need only be pumped half as far as in the past, 降低了成本, 使水费负担得起, and significantly reduces both energy consumption and the Water Authority’s carbon footprint.

它是如何工作的
因为水是从进水口隧道系统抽取的, it passes through several screens to separate out fish and other foreign matter. It is then pumped three miles south through a 48-inch main to the Webster 水处理 Plant, where state-of-the-art technology is applied to assure the water meets exacting standards for quality, 纯度和清晰度.

作为工厂的第一步, chemicals are added to the water in tiny quantities – literally one drop at a time. 在这个凝固过程中, alum (aluminum sulfate) and polymers attract impurities and help them to form clumps called “floc” that are large enough to be captured by the filters. Chlorine is added to sanitize the water and carbon dioxide is used to appropriately adjust the pH level.

Before reaching the filters, the water enters large pools called contact basins. 在这里，絮凝体在移动之前被允许完全形成. From the basins, the water flows through filters composed of layers of sand and activated carbon. 当水从多孔底部流出时，絮体被捕获. 活性炭不仅为颗粒提供了物理屏障, 它还能去除异味和其他杂质.

A final application of chlorine is then added to the water as it moves through a serpentine entrance to a four-million gallon pool called a clear well. This further sanitizes the water, kills any surviving germs, and keeps the water clean over time.

水每天都在现场实验室进行测试，以确保达到标准, 结果将报告给门罗县卫生局. 一旦水的性质得到验证, it is pumped into some 10 miles of new water mains and transmission facilities that connect the plant to the distribution system.

走向绿色

从建造到运营, the Webster 水处理 Plant stands as a “green” facility that respects the environment.

考虑一下这些事实:

• The one million-gallon backwash tank used every few days to clean the filters is re-used from a previous installation, 共计155吨回收钢材.
• The 13 miles of new transmission mains are made of 75 percent recycled ductile iron and 50 percent recycled steel.
• The east side location of the plant reduces by one megawatt (one million watts) the energy needed to distribute water to MCWA communities.
• The plant takes advantage of the region’s often-cold temperatures by using a natural freeze-dry process for treatment of backwash sludge. Instead of highly energy-intensive conventional treatment methods such as presses or centrifuges, each winter the settled backwash residuals are spread in a thin layer and allowed to freeze. This breaks the bonds of hydration and allows the particulate material to separate and settle as the water is returned to the lake. The annual energy savings of this process are well above 100,000 kilowatt hours.
• 该项目包括在韦伯斯特建立10英亩的湿地.
• Larger intake and transmission mains reduce the long-term energy requirements and electrical demands.
• Naturally chilled lake water is used to cool the plant, reducing cost and energy consumption.

资助项目

The Water Authority began to address the financial requirements needed for the $150 million East Side 水的供应 Project in 1995 by establishing a cash reserve fund. 到第一批建筑合同签订的时候, 该基金有超过2 000万美元的现金储备专门用于这一目的.

The sound economic case and the green aspects of the project helped immensely in acquiring federal stimulus funds and outside grants and financing. 通过《澳博国际在线平台》, 例如, the New York State Department of Health awarded the Water Authority grants and subsidies, 这在很大程度上是因为该项目遵循了节能环保的做法.

其他供资来源包括:

• $17.2009年《澳博国际在线平台》拨款7500万美元
• $17.75 million in low-interest financing arranged by the New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation and underwritten by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
• $5.美国环境保护署拨款7600万美元.
• $100,000 grant from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.

向前迈出明确的一步

具有技术先进的操作和控制系统, 韦伯斯特水处理项目是一个非常高效的工厂, and its state-of-the-art security measures and equipment reduce our vulnerability to natural occurrences such as main breaks or even natural disasters.

简而言之, the project represents a major step forward in our ability to serve customers – and the region – by supplying safe, 可靠且价格合理的水. 很长一段时间以来，它一直是我们的未来. 截至2013年，这是一个受欢迎的现实.