Whale Creek Sludge Dock & Vessels Project

As part of New York City’s Newtown Creek Wastewater Resource Recovery Facility upgrade, the project team led the design and construction of a new sludge pumping dock and harboring facilities, and the design and procurement of three motorized sludge transportation vessels capable of maneuvering in the narrow and shallow confines of New York City’s Newtown Creek and Whale Creek Canal, and passing beneath bridges at high tide while empty. 

Despite initial site damage from Superstorm Sandy, complications during maintenance dredging, and delays in securing a qualified shipbuilding contract for the sludge transport vessels, the project was completed within the scheduled deadline and within budget, enabling the city of New York to fulfill its promise to local citizens to use the older sludge site and facilities for community redevelopment of affordable housing, parks, and schools.  

Engineering challenges involved designing and constructing a multipurpose marine dock and sludge transfer facility in a difficult water-access site without disrupting daily sludge transfer operations essential to the recently overhauled Newtown Creek Wastewater Resource Recovery Facility, and designing and procuring the three motorized sludge transportation vessels featuring greater cargo capacity, faster transfer capability, and more efficient operation than previous sludge transport vessels. The destructive impact of superstorms like Sandy resulted in new engineering standards to cope with unanticipated stormwater levels and severity.  

Project Highlights: 

• Honored with the 2015 ACEC-New York Diamond Award, 2015 ACEC National Honor Award and the 2015 American Academy of Environmental Engineers & Scientists Honor Award 

• Waterborne transport of sludge 

• Innovative waste management solution 

• Allowed community greater waterfront access 

• Enabled community redevelopment of affordable housing, parks and schools