Bronx sewage plant workers were at risk of drinking dirty water, due to missing 'backflow preventer'

[TalkBXAdmin]

The agency in charge of delivering clean water to New Yorkers forgot to do it for its own employees.

A new building at the Hunts Point sewage plant in the Bronx was built seven months ago without a necessary "backflow preventer" to protect water in the plant's huge boilers from backing up into its pipes.

That could have allowed water tainted by industrial chemicals to pour out of hallway drinking fountains, locker room showers and lunchroom sinks, the Department of Environmental Protection admits.

"That's a mistake. We're looking into that," said new DEP Commissioner Cas Holloway. "There wasn't a backflow preventer there. There is now."

The building opened last June, and 100 employees used the water - including sewage workers who showered there after their shifts.

Nobody noticed the backflow preventer was missing until a sharp-eyed DEP worker reported it to his supervisors Jan. 15, officials said.

"It wasn't on the plans," Holloway said. "We'll look into why it wasn't put into the original design."

The next day, employees say, signs went up above the water fountains telling workers not to drink from them and portable water coolers were wheeled into the building for drinking.

Tests of the water system since then have found no evidence of any contamination, but the coolers will remain in place for the time being.

The backflow preventer never appeared on the specifications for the building, and none of the many people who reviewed the plans or the finished product ever noticed the mistake.

Construction manager URS Corp., which has more than $100 million worth of contracts with the DEP, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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