Giant "Bladder" Being Installed Underground in Dumbo

giant%20bladder.jpg The city's Department of Environmental Protection is in the process of attaching what was first described to us as a "giant bladder" (their term was so boring we forgot it) to a sewage pipe beneath Gold Street in Dumbo. The balloon, with the capacity to hold 2 million gallons, would inflate during heavy rains to prevent sewage overflows into the East River. When the sewage pipe is no longer above capacity, the balloon would deflate and send the nasty oil and poop cocktail along to the Red Hook Wastewater Treatment Plant, which is actually at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The treatment plant was the subject of a lawsuit when millions of gallons of raw sewage poured into the East River following the 2003 blackouts. The cause was power loss at the treatment facility, so we originally thought this bladder was being installed to help remedy situations like those. Turns out, this thing won't work during a blackout. It's only meant to capture the first five minutes of excess runoff during a typical storm and the department was mandated to install it 14 years ago. A resident of the Farragut Houses asked if this would help prevent sewage from overflowing into their ground-floor daycare during heavy rains. Her hopes were swiftly extinguished. We were later told it will only reduce overflows into the river, not anyone's basement, that's someone else's department. A few blocks of Gold Street near Plymouth Street is being dug up to install this "giant bladder," which we really hope can't burst.

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This demonstrates all the more need for green roofs and other water retention mechanisms in urban areas.

Posted by: lincolnlimestone at May 15, 2008 9:46 AM

The balloon doesn't hold two million gallons, it stoppers the pipe so that much liquid can be stored in it. It is an "in line" retention system. Isn't engineering sexy?

Posted by: guest at May 15, 2008 10:00 AM

also, people should eat less, so they poop less.

Posted by: z at May 15, 2008 10:00 AM

Here we go. Sounds typical of the stopgap measures DEP and other city agencies increasingly deploy. I'm not an engineer, but I'm betting that in the event of significant weather event, the balloon won't work.

Posted by: guest at May 15, 2008 10:15 AM

Relax--the engineers know what they're doing. Why it's no more likely that the bladder will burst than it is that a construction crane will fall. Doesn't that make everyone feel much better?

Posted by: Bob Marvin at May 15, 2008 10:52 AM

Of COURSE it can burst. And it will. Glad I don't live in DUMBO....

Posted by: Park Sloper at May 15, 2008 11:41 AM

They are installing the same thing in Williamsburg - that is the work that has been going on for some months now at the street end of South 6th Street, immediately south of Domino Sugar, immediately north of the bridge.

Posted by: WBer at May 15, 2008 12:26 PM

Makes me want to run out and buy a loft in DUMBO, real close to the BQE and under a bridge where a train runs all night.

Posted by: guest at May 15, 2008 12:31 PM

Makes me want to run out and buy a loft in DUMBO, real close to the BQE and under a bridge where a train runs all night.

Posted by: guest at May 15, 2008 12:31 PM

...and if it does burst, all that will happen is the combined (storm and sewer) overflow will go into the East River. This system is not very complicated, yet seems infathomable to most people who hear about it.

Posted by: guest at May 15, 2008 1:41 PM

I used to live right there, on the block where that photo was taken. I hated it then but, Lordy, if I was still there to see that sewage balloon go in? The mind reels...

Posted by: guest at May 15, 2008 1:42 PM

It will be stolen before it has a chance to burst.

Posted by: guest at May 15, 2008 4:20 PM

I have to go to the bathroom.

Posted by: guest at May 15, 2008 5:52 PM

They should stop the backups into basements before they decide to stop sending it into the river. I guess poluting basements with dirty sewer water is OK for the environment. It leaves a wonderfull smell and the mold/mildew afterwards is always fun to deal with. Whomever decided that we first must stop the east river flow and not worry about sewer backups into residental basments as a result needs the bladder insert up their butt and inflated.

Posted by: guest at May 16, 2008 8:51 AM

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May 15, 2008

Giant "Bladder" Being Installed Underground in Dumbo

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