How Big Are The New York Sewers?

7,400 miles.
Between your drain and our Wastewater Treatment Plants is an elaborate network of sewers. This network consists of over 7,400 miles of sewer pipes, 135,000 catch basins, and 95 wastewater pumping stations. This complex system quietly does a job we simply can’t live without.

How deep are the sewers in New York?

Within the city, too, the tunnels are deeply buried—for instance, 500 feet below the streets of Manhattan’s West Side—because it is easier to connect to the water mains with vertical risers than to go wandering around through all the complications that lie closer to the surface.

Can you walk through New York sewers?

In real life, most sewer pipes are too small for an adult to enter. They are about 3 feet wide. There are older sewer systems with underground canals and walkways, but they are nowhere near the size of the sewers in fiction.

Where Do NYC sewers go?

Instead of being diverted to a wastewater treatment plant, what goes down your toilet ends up floating along rivers, canals, beaches, and waterfront parks. All told, more than 20 billion gallons of feces-polluted water is flushed out onto the city’s coastline every year.

Are sewers big enough to walk in?

Most sewage lines aren’t big enough to walk in. The majority of sewage lines, even in big cities, are 2 to 4 ft (60.96 to 121.92 cm) wide. However, older sewage systems, built before the introduction of industrial tubing, may be large enough to walk in.

What’s underneath New York City?

There are also seven secret tunnels like the Farley-Morgan Postal Tunnel, McCarren Pool Tunnels, East New York Freight Tunnel, Columbia University Steam Tunnels, Atlantic Avenue Tunnel, Hidden Concourse at 1271 6th Avenue, and Underground Spine of Goldwater Hospital.

What happens to human waste in NYC?

The truth is, while most of your poop goes to a water treatment plant, there’s a good chance it’ll end up in the ocean. This is due to the city’s Combined Sewer Overflow system. Essentially, this means that over 60% of NYC sewers are connected. Usually, this is fine.

Why do people smoke New York sewers?

Most of the time, the steam you see is the condensation that results from cooler water, like rain, falling through manhole covers coming into contact with the extremely hot pipes below street level. You’re more likely to experience this in cooler temperatures than in warmer ones. Don’t be afraid, it’s not dirty smoke.

How old are NYC sewers?

New York City Sewers
Sewer system construction began in 1849, spurred by a major cholera outbreak. Seventy miles of sewers were laid during the first five years, which was expanded in the second half of the century. By 1902, most of the city had sewage service, including a large percentage of tenement houses.

How deep do the NYC subways go?

Subway water tunnels are built approximately 30 feet below the riverbed. Because of the immense pressure exerted by 30 feet of rock, sand, and silt, plus 50 feet of water, such tunnels were in danger of collapsing.

What does New York do with their sewage?

In most areas of the city, the combined sewer system collects and conveys wastewater and stormwater runoff from streets, sidewalks, and rooftops, together to a wastewater resource recovery facility.

What does NYC do with the sewage sludge now?

New York City’s sludge is digested, which is a form of processing that microbiologically transforms material and creates “biogas,” a type of renewable energy. Learn more about Resource Recovery.

Why are sewers warm?

Sewers are hot because they’re filled with water that’s around 50-70°F (10-21.11°C). Water comes from buildings and stays at a constant temperature as it travels through the sewers to treatment plants. There’s also plenty of condensation from water draining into manholes from all over the city.

Does human waste go to sewers?

From the toilet, your poop flows through the city’s sewage system along with all the water that drains from our sinks, showers and streets. From there, it goes to a wastewater treatment plant.

What do sewers smell like?

Actually, sewer gas is mostly methane which is odorless but it’s almost always mixed with other gases, the most common of which is hydrogen sulfide which has a rotten egg smell. Hydrogen sulfide comes from decomposing organic matter. Natural gas, for that matter, is odorless too.

What is it like inside a sewer?

So what is life like inside a sewer? Stinky, yes, but perhaps not as stinky as you’d think. As long as the “water” is moving, it’s OK; it actually smells like coffee and cocoa. But stagnant water is the worst, when silt and muck are just sitting in one place.

Do people live under NYC?

Ever since the Great Depression, there have been many homeless people in New York City. During that difficult period, people started using the subway tunnels as a place to live. Since then, the homeless population has grown and so has the number of people living under the city.

Is there a town under Central Park?

Before Central Park was created, the landscape along what is now the Park’s perimeter from West 82nd to West 89th Street was the site of Seneca Village, a community of predominantly African-Americans, many of whom owned property.

What is the deepest part of NYC?

Nicholas Avenue and 191st Street in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan, it is served by the 1 train at all times. It is the deepest station in the New York City Subway system at about 173 feet (53 m) below street level.
191st Street station.

Did NYC dump garbage in the ocean?

Only in 1994 did New York City close down its last municipal incinerator. Ocean dumping, too, is largely a thing of the past. After protracted quarreling with the state of New Jersey, New York City was forced by the Supreme Court, in 1934, to stop dumping in the open ocean.

Can you flush toilet paper down the toilet in NYC?

What can New Yorkers do to help prevent fatbergs? ONLY flush the four P’s: Pee, Poop, Puke and toilet Paper. NEVER flush wipes or other trash down the toilet, even if the box is labeled as flushable. NEVER pour grease down kitchen sinks or toilets.