Page 2
Summer 2016
NATURAL RESOURCES PROTECTIVE ASSOCIATION
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are large devices inside that literally
grind up the sewage and any debris
that is in it. We had the opportunity
to actually see one of these devices,
since they are periodically elevated
for cleaning and maintenance. The
wet wells used to be open pits locat-
ed in a separate building, but this
new arrangement looks and smells a
whole lot better. The sewage then
goes through underground pipes into
the main pumping station building.
Next we stepped into the pumping
station itself. It was amazing to see
how lovely this building was on the
inside. All of the railings were ornate
brass and had been beautifully re-
stored. In addition, there were beau-
tiful terracotta tiles on the walls,
which had also been cleaned and
restored.
We first walked up to the main level,
which has a rather narrow walkway
surrounding a high ceilinged, open
space. From there, we were able to
look down into the lower level and
see the massive pumps and the
huge pipes that carry the ground up
sewage to the Owl’s Head plant,
several miles away. It was amazing-
ly quiet inside and we learned that
when the plant was modernized, the
noisy engines had been put under-
ground. The pump room is literally
the heart of the station. Today, eve-
rything is run by computer and the
sight of 21
st
century electronics next
to 19
th
century decorative work was
Wet well equipment in the rear yard
at the Avenue V Pumping Station.
The wells are below ground under-
neath trap doors. The blue object in
the background is a spare pump.
A sewage grinder that was lifted out
of one of the wet wells for mainte-
nance.
Another view of the pumps in the
lower level of the Avenue V Pumping
Station.
inspiring.
Our next stop was a different type of
pumping station, located on the
shore of Coney Island Creek, off
Neptune Ave. The Coney Island
Pumping Station was built in 1937 in
Art Deco style. This one had nothing
to do with sewage. It was a Fire Ser-
vice Pumping Station, used to main-
tain adequate pressure in Coney
Island’s fire hydrants. Decommis-
sioned sometime in the 1970’s, the
unusual oval building used to have
two statues of the winged horse Peg-
asus guarding its front steps. But
they were vandalized and removed
to the Brooklyn Museum where they
remain to this day. The building is
set quite far back from the street and
the open area in front of it is now
used as a community garden.
As in the Avenue V Pumping Station,
this structure has a lower level sur-
rounded by an elevated walkway.
But all similarities end there. There
is no electricity and we were told to
bring flashlights because the win-
dowless structure is pitch dark in-
side. Since the structure has been
sealed for so long and was not
cleaned out after Hurricane Sandy,
some of us were concerned about
mold. Just to be safe, we wore
gloves and surgical masks when we
went inside. The pumps and other
equipment had been removed long
ago and the lower level is now filled
with several feet of water. You could
still see some of the steel beams that
were used to hoist and move equip-
ment. Even with flashlights, moving
Exterior view of the old Fire Service
Pumping Station on Neptune Ave.
The statues of Pegasus used to be
on either side of the entrance.
Another view of the pumps. The
pipes in the foreground go to the
Owls’ Head WTP.
