Center Presents Ground Breaking Research and New Initiatives at 2018 Symposium
Tuesday, May 22, Stony Brook, N.Y. – The New York State Center for Clean Water Technology hosted its second symposium, an event designed to present an overview of the Center’s most recent research breakthroughs and to highlight its latest research investments as it works to develop more cost-effective water quality protection and restoration technologies. The event was attended by nearly 100 people representing a wide-range of stakeholders from industry to academia and environmental advocacy, as well as regulators and policy makers from every level of government.
“This Symposium provides an excellent opportunity to share with the public the great strides we have made in addressing the on-going drinking, ground, and surface water crises on Long Island”, said Dr. Chris Gobler, Center Co-Director and Associate Dean for Research and Professor at the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at Stony Brook University.
Carrie Gallagher, Regional Director of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Suffolk County Deputy Executive Peter Scully, Vice President for Research Rich Reeder, and Kevin McDonald from The Nature Conservancy attended and made opening remarks, each underscoring the importance of water quality protection to the region, and the crucial role of the Center in working to develop cost-effective solutions.
The event presentations covered an overview of the Center’s mission, as well as the results of the research done over the past two years relating to Nitrogen Removing Biofilters (NRBs), Constructed Wetlands, Permeable Reactive Barriers, and Membrane Bioreactors.
“Our early results on Nitrogen Removing Biofilters look extremely promising” said Dr. Harold Walker, Center Co-Director and Chair of the Department of Civil Engineering in the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Stony Brook University. “NRBs are reducing total nitrogen to below 10 mg/L, which for an onsite system is a game changer technology” he added.
Additional presentations highlighted the Center’s latest focus on the development and evaluation of methods to remove emerging contaminants from drinking water supplies, specifically 1,4-dioxane. This effort represents the initial phase of a State-sponsored, multi-year program administered by the NYS Department of Health to proactively address emerging contaminants in drinking water.
Symposium presentations are available for viewing here.
Background
Funded in 2015 by the New York State Environmental Protection Fund as administered by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, along with Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Center for Clean Water Technology is leading an initiative to marshal the region’s public and private resources to develop and commercialize water quality restoration and protection technologies, focusing first on more affordable and effective solutions for removing nitrogen and other contaminants discharged into groundwater by some 360,000 individual septic systems in Suffolk County.
A venture lead jointly by the Stony Brook University School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences and the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the Center is headquartered in the Stony Brook Research and Development Park.
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Photo Credit:Arthur Fredericks