The Wards Island Wastewater Resource Recovery Facility (WRRF), first commissioned in 1937, serves more than one million residents in the Bronx and Manhattan. The plant’s location, adjacent to the Harlem and East Rivers, leave it vulnerable to climate change and rising sea levels.

To protect the facility from future floods and storms, DEP selected STV to evaluate resilience design options, including two design alternatives with cost estimates. After approval of a preferred alternative, STV worked with the New York State and National Registers of Historic Places to preserve the historic art deco façade of the building’s exterior while consulting with the historic preservation office on flood barriers, flood-proofing equipment, and the sealing of the control room.