JAMAICA BAY
NEW YORK
An Investigation of the Effects of Hurricane
Surge Control Structures on Water Quality
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE
Public Health Service, Region II
New York, New York
In Cooperation with the
DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
. S. Army Engineer District - New York, New York
JUNE 1963
-------
JAMAICA. BAY
Investigation of the Effects of Hurricane
Surge Control Structures on the Water
Quality of Jamaica Bay.
Prepared at the request of and. in cooperation
with the District Engineer, New York District,
Corps of Engineers, U. S. Array.
U. S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE
PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE
DIVISION OF WATER SUPPLY AND POLLUTION CONTROL
Technical, Advisory and Investigations Section
Technical Services Branch
Robert A. Taft Sanitary Engineering Center
Cincinnati, Ohio
and
Region II, New York, New York
June 1963
-------
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Rage
List of Tables ii
List of Figures iii
Introduction 1
Acknowledgments 3
Description of the Area 3
Presentation of Data 7
Discussion 8
Summary and Conclusions 21
-------
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1. Major Waste Loads Discharged to Jamaica Bay and Rockavay
Inlet.
Table 2. BOD and DO Sampling Results, 1959-1962 Summer Months.
Table 3* Tide Parameters of Jamaica Bay.
Table k. Estimated Waste Load Accumulations in Jamaica Bay and
Rockavay Inlet Resulting from Hurricane Barriers.
ii
-------
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1. Jamaica Bay and Rockaway Inlet.
Figure 2. BOD and DO Results at Individual Stations as Functions
of Tide Range.
Figure 3. Mean Values of BOD and DO as Functions of Tide Range.
iii
-------
INTRODUCTION
Jamaica Bay, an estuary on the southern shore of Long Island
and lying partly within New York City, is surrounded by densely
populated areas. Because of property damage associated with
extreme tides due to the close passage of large storms, consider-
ation is being given to the construction of hurricane barriers to
moderate the extreme storm surges. Since each hurricane barrier
plan includes features which alter the natural hydraulic regime,
it is possible that the water quality of the system may be altered
by the implementation of any such plan. It is necessary as part of
the Initial study of possible schemes to evaluate the effects of
each scheme on the water quality of the system.
The New York District, Corps of Engineers, in a letter dated
February 18, 1963, requested that the Public Health Service evaluate
the effects of several alternative hurricane surge control plans
for Jamaica Bay on the water quality of Jamaica Bay and the adjacent
waters, and that this investigation be conducted on a reimbursable
basis and be confined to the information presently available rela-
tive to the problem.
This report presents the results of the requested evaluation.
1
-------
2
Numerous possible hurricane surge control schemes were con-
sidered. The New York District Corps of Engineers requested that
the potential water quality associated with six of these plans be
evaluated. The general descriptions of each plan are given here.
Plan A consists of the building of a permanent hurricane barrier
in Rockaway Inlet with a 300-f°ot wide permanent gap and the devel-
opment of a 25-foot deep navigation channel.
Plan B consists of the building of a permanent hurricane barrier
in Rockaway Inlet with a permanent gap of 300 feet, temporarily
closable to 150 feet, and the development of a navigation channel
with a depth of 40 feet.
Plan C consists of the cutting of a new inlet to Jamaica Bay through
Norton Basin. The new inlet would have a control depth of k2 feet
and be 400 feet wide with a constriction at one point to 300 feet.
Plan D consists of the combination of Plan A and Plan C.
Plan E consists of the building of a permanent hurricane barrier in
Rockaway Inlet with a permanent navigation gap 600 feet wide, tem-
porarily closable to 300 feet, and a channel 40 feet deep.
Plan F consists of the building of a permanent hurricane barrier in
Rockaway Inlet with a permanent navigation gap 1,000 feet wide, tem-
porarily closable to 300 feet, and a channel 40 feet deep.
Each of the above barrier plans will involve the construction
of a sea wall along the ocean front and an interior dike to tie in
-------
3
with high ground. Other plans under consideration by the Corps
of Engineers which do not involve a barrier at the mouth of Jamaica
Bay include construction of small hurricane barriers across the
mouths of some of the small coves in Jamaica Bay.
The location of the hurricane barrier across Rockaway Inlet
and the location of the new navigation inlet are shown in Figure 1.
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
(1) The data available on the water quality of Jamaica Bay indicate
that the present variations in water quality are closely related to
the supply of nutrients available to aquatic plants.
(2) None of the available data are adequate measures of the nutrient
supply in the system. In general, effluents from sewage treatment
plants are quite high in nutrient materials; it may be expected, there-
fore, with the supply of nutrients to the system is closely associated
with the quantities of waste entering Jamaica Bay.
(3) The data available show variations associated with changes in
the tidal range in Jamaica Bay. It is postulated that this association
is due to differences in flushing characteristics related to changes in
the tidal prism.
{b) The BOD data are, therefore, used to develop a mathematical model
incorporating the observed variations in BOD, the postulated flushing
relationship to the tidal prism, and the total waste loads entering
the system.
-------
4
(5) This mathematical model ie used to predict from changes in tidal
prism the percentage changes in BOD which are assumed to reflect
percentage changes in the waste load accumulated in the system and
therefore changes in the nutrient supply within the system.
(6) The major effect of each hurricane barrier plan is assumed to be
its effect on the tidal prism. No other effects are considered in
\
this report.
(7) The effects of each of six hurricane surge control plans were
considered in detail. The placing of barriers across some of the
small boat basins will undoubtedly be detrimental to water quality
within the basins. There is no information with which to evaluate
the extent of these damages. The evaluation of each plan is based
upon its effects upon the over-all water quality of Jamaica Bay and
Rockaway Inlet. The plans considered are: Plan A - 300-foot permanent
gap, 25-foot deep channel in Rockaway Inlet; Plan B - 300 foot gap,
temporarily closable to 150 feet, 40-foot deep channel; Plan C -
Navigation Inlet through Norton Basin, 400/300-foot wide channel, ^2-
feet deep; Plan D - Combination of Plan A and Plan C; Plan E - 600-foot
permanent gap, temporarily closable to 300 feet, 40-foot deep channel
in Rockaway Inlet; Plan F - 1000-foot permanent gap, temporarily
closable to 300 feet, 40-foot deep channel in Rockaway Inlet.
(8) The analyses upon which this report is based showed that five of
the six plans are slightly detrimental to water quality within Jamaica
Bay under future loads. The changes in water quality as calculated,
however, are so slight as to be regarded as negligible. Each of these
-------
5
six plans is therefore acceptable from this standpoint.
(9) In Rockaway Inlet, the accumulation of waste is approximately
doubled with anticipated future loads for Plan A, and is increased by
about ^0 per cent under Plan B and Plan C. It is not known how seriously
this increase in waste accumulation will affect water use in this area.
Since, however, the range of values predicted under Plan B and Plan C
are within the present observed and accepted range, the resulting water
quality is comparable to that at present. Plan A would result in a
water quality which may be severely depressed from present quality.
(10) From the estimated future conditions in Jamaica Bay and in
Rockaway Inlet, the six hurricane barrier plans are evaluated in
this manner:
(a) Plan A would result in possible severe damage to
water quality in Rockaway Inlet and is not
recommended.
(b) Plans B, C, and D would result in a probable small
deterioration of water quality in Jamaica Bay and in
Rockaway Inlet, but the amount of deterioration would
not be so great as to rule these plans out of con-
sideration at this time.
(c) Plans E and F would result in little or no deteriora-
tion of water quality in Jamaica Bay which should
not be detrimental to present and anticipated future
water uses.
-------
6
(11) The information upon which this report is based is not sufficient
to permit a precise evaluation of the effects of each hurricane barrier
plan considered.
(12) Detailed information about the dispersal of wastes within Jamaica
Bay, the quantities of wastes entering and leaving Jamaica Bay through
Rockaway Inlet and parameters reflecting nutrient build-up within
Jamaica Bay are essential if a more detailed evaluation of hurricane
barrier projects is required. Some of the needed information can be
obtained only by hydraulic model studies.
(13) Further design studies of the effects of hurricane barriers on
water quality in the Jamaica Bay system should include intensive
hydraulic model studies and probably prototype field studies to obtain
more detailed information on the environmental changes associated
with these projects.
-------
7
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This report iB based entirely upon publications of the U. S.
Coast and Geodetic Survey and upon unpublished data and reports
supplied by agencies of the City of New York.
The Public Health Service particularly expresses appreciation
to the New York City Department of Public Works and the New York
City Department of Health for their generous cooperation in supply-
ing field survey data from their files and in discussing the various
aspects of this problem.
DESCRIPTION OF THE AREA
In its general morphology and bathymetry Jamaica Bay appears
to be a typical bar-built estuary. The shallow depths and wide
expanse of marshlands, the. narrow inlet to the ocean, the lack of
fresh water inflow, and the generally high salinity of the Bay
waters all contribute to this appearance.
-------
8
In some respects, however, Jamaica Bay is an atypical member
of this class. The great tidal range, over five feet under pre-
sent average tidal ranges, is the most striking atypical feature.
This, in turn, may be related to some man-made changes vhich have
modified the typical bar-built character of the system. The dred-
ging associated vith the construction of Idlewild Airport and with
the maintenance of the navigation channels has probably had an
effect upon the dynamic structure of the system, while the proximity
of the complex New York Harbor and Bight system are probably largely
responsible for the extreme tidal range in Jamaica Bay.
At the present time Jamaica Bay has a somewhat circular shape
overall, but the deep navigation channels, islands, and marshlands
divide it into at least two narrow, elongate estuary systems. The
U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey Tidal current charts for New York
Harbor show that the currents along the southern shore of the Bay ¦
are somewhat higher than those along the western shore, and that
there is a nodal point representing very little tidal flow in the
vicinity of the highway and railroad bridges just west of Idlewild
Airport in the northern part of the Bay. More detailed current
information is not available at the present time.
The area surrounding Jamaica Bay is heavily populated. The
Bay itself lies almost entirely within the Boroughs of Brooklyn and
Queens within New York City, The area is highly developed both
residentially and industrially. There are two major airfields
-------
9
"bordering Jamaica Bay—I&lewild Airport and Floyd Bennett Field.
During the summer the Bay and its environs are intensively used
for recreational purposes.
The populated area is mostly sewered and the large majority
of the wastes are highly treated. The major existing pollution
problem is the discharge of untreated vastes to the Bay associated
vith storm runoff through combined severs. The City of New York
has planned the construction of treatment facilities for the storm
vater overflows; vhen these facilities and some corollary improve-
ments to the sever system are completed, waste entering Jamaica Bay
from this source should "be reduced 50 per cent at a cost of some
Uo million dollars. These improvements are directed toward increas-
ing the potential use of Jamaica Bay as a recreational area, devoted
largely to swimming and boating activities.
There are four major waste discharges from sewage treatment'
plants entering Jamaica Bay and Rockavay Inlet at the present time.
These waste loads are listed in Table 1 and the outfall locations
are shown in Figure 1. There are also three smaller sewage treat-
ment plant discharges entering Jamaica Bay. These are from
Cedarhurst, Floyd Bennett Field, and Fort Tilden; these waste loads
are quite small in magnitude and are not considered further in this
report. In Table 1 are also presented the estimated future waste
discharges anticipated by the City of Nev York from the four major
vaste discharges.
-------
10
Table 1
Major Waste Loads Discharged to
Jamaica Bay and Rockaway Inlet
Load Discharged (lbs BOD/day)
Name of Plant Treatment Type Present Future
Jamaica Activated Sludge 7*000 5j800
Rockavay Activated Sludge 1,000 5/200
26th Ward Activated Sludge 13*300 9/200
Coney Island Chemical (Present) 15,000 16,500
Activated Sludge
(Future)
Total Directly to Jamaica Bay 21,300 20,200
Total Directly to Rockavay Inlet 15,000 16,500
Consultants in a report* to the City of New York estimate
that about 3 per cent of the total sanitary sewage flow during the
summer months enters Jamaica Bay mingled with storm water. At pre-
sent volumes of waste loadings to the sewage treatment plants, this
is equivalent to a sustained loading in the range of 4,000 pounds
of 5 day 20°C BOD per day.
It should be noted, with respect to the quantity of sewage
discharged through combined sewers due to storm water overflows,
*Greeley and Hansen, Engineers, "Report on Elimination of Marginal
Pollution Jamaica Bay to the Department of Public Works The City
of New York." March 1959«
-------
11
that there is very little reliable information on the quantities which
may be discharged in any particular situation. While the estimate in
the preceding paragraph appears to be low, there is no evidence to
suggest a "better average figure for this system.*
PRESENTATION OF DATA
The data upon which this report is based consist primarily of
the unpublished results from samples taken by the New York City
Department of Public Works during routine summer sampling programs
during the years 1959-1962. During the period from June to September
about 13 samples were taken each year from each of six sampling sta-
tions as shown in Figure 1. The dissolved oxygen, temperature, and
biochemical oxygen demand data from these samples are the field
parameters upon which this report is based.
Table 2 is a summary showing the means of BOD and DO (as per
cent saturation) at each station for the period 1959-1962 tabulated
according to tide range for the day of sampling. The mean values for
the stations in Jamaica Bay are also presented in this table. Tide
range data were obtained from C. & G. S. Tide Tables for the appro-
priate years.
*A discussion of quantities of sewage discharged in storm water over-
flows is given by Harold Romer and Lester M. Klashman, "How Combined
Sewers Affect Water Pollution," Public Works Sk, p 88. April 1963.
-------
12
Table 2
BOD & DO Sampling Results
1959"1962 - Summer Months
Tide*
Range
(ft.)
Jamaica Bay
Mean
Tide Range
(ft.)
Station
DO
(# sat.)
bod5
(ppm)
3.0-3^5
3.67
C
71
2.3
J-l
78
1.2
J-2
69
1.4
J-3
64
1.4
J-5
64
1.4
J-7
.46
2.2
Mean**
64.2
1.52
3.5-3.95
4.24
C
98
1.8
J-l
96
2.1
J-2
89
2.8
J-3
79
2.7
J-5
90
1.9
J-7
2.8
Mean**
82.2
2.46
4.0-4.45
4.80
C
85
2.5
J-l
86
1.7
J-2
84
2.4
J-3
69
2.1
J-5
81
2.8
J-7
Mean**
70
78.0
3.0
2.40
-------
Table 2 (Con't.)
Tide*
Range
(ft.)
Jamaica Bay-
Mean
Tide Range
(ft.)
Station
DO
(S& sat.)
BOD,,
(ppm)
k-.5-k.95
5-3T
C
8T
1.9
J-l
83
1.6
J-2
TT
2.0
J-3
66
1.6
J-5
T2
1.9
J-T
CO
3.0
Mean**
71.2
2.02
5.0-5^5
5.93
C
83
1.6
J-l
79
1.2 '
J-2
73
1.3
J-3
63
1.1
J-5
69
1.6
J-T
5^
2.1
Mean**
67.6
1.46
5.5-5-95
6.50
C
83
1.8
J-l
81
1-5
J-2
71
2.0
J-3
63
1-7
J-5
70
1.8
J-T
53
2.3
Mean**
67.6
1.86
-------
Table 2 (Con't.)
Tide*
Range
(»•)
Jamaica Bay
Mean
Tide Range
Station
DO
(* sat.)
B0D5
(ppn)
C
92
1.5
J-l
8k
1.2
J-2
71
2.0
J-3
60
2.1
J-5
77
1.6
J-7
6?
3.0
Mean**
71.4
1.98
6.0-6.45
7.05
* Tide Range at Sandy Hook
** Mean of J-l, J-2, J-3, J-5, J^7
-------
15
The report of Tippetts-Abbett-McCarthy-Stratton (T«A.M.S.)
to the Corps of Engineers, dated January 1963** vas the source for
information on the effects of each Hurricane Barrier Plan on the
tidal range and tidal prism of Jamaica Bay. Table 3 presents some
of the tide-related parameters calculated from information in this
report.
Information on waste discharges to Jamaica Bay and Rock&way
Inlet vas provided by the New York City Department of Public Works
from unpublished information. These data have been presented in
Table 1.
DISCUSSION
In Figure 2 the DO and BOD values presented in Table 2 are
plotted for each station as functions of tide range. Because of the
similarity among these curves for each station, the arithmetic means
for all stations in Jamaica Bay were calculated and plotted in Figure
3(a) as functions of tide range. The values for Station C near the
Coney Island Outfall are presented separately on Figure 3(b).
From a theoretical consideration of the processes involved,
it would be expected that an increase in oxygen-consuming wastes,
*Tippetts-Abbett-McCarthy-Stratton, "Study and Report Jamaica Bay
Improvements, New York City." Prepared for Corps of Engineers,
U. S. Army, New York District, January, 1963.
-------
16
Table 3
Tide Parameters for Jamaica Bay
Channel
Modification
Tide
Range
(ft.)
Volume in Bay
at Low Tide
(10°'cu. ft.)
Plan A
2.U0
2.70
Plan B
3.65
2-39
Plan C
3.95
2.32
Plan D
•5.00
2.10
Plan E
5.27
2.03
Plan F
5.63
1.97
Tidal
Prism
(10s* cu. ft.)
1.25
1-97
2.12
2.72
2.83
3.06
-------
17
as typified by BOD concentrations, would bring about a decrease in
dissolved oxygen concentration, and that this decrease would be off-
set by the processes of turbulent reaeration, advection of DO, and
photosynthetic DO production. As the aquatic plants responsible for
photo synthetic DO production increase in number's due to an optimal
supply of nutrients, they add to the potential BOD of the system.
If the BOD present is large, the change in BOD due to the plants may
not be noticeable; if, however, the BOD is small, this change may be
a significant part of the total BOD. The net result of the latter
situation might be a close similarity between the DO and BOD changes
within such a system.
The DO and BOD relationships exhibited in Figure 3 are quite
significant when considered in the light of this preceding discussion.
At Station C the classical BOD-DO relationship appears to exist, with
an increase in BOD being associated with a decrease in DO. In Jamaica
Bay itself the DO and BOD curves track each other quite closely. At
the same time it is noted that the BOD values are quite low, having
an over-all average of about 2.0 for all stations, while the DO
measurements cover a wide range of values. The consistent similarity
of the DO and BOD curves from the Jamaica Bay data makes it unlikely
that the variations in the curves represent a random fluctuation in
sampling or In the determination of a parameter. The obvious linear
trend In BOD at Station C combined with the wide variation in values
of DO and BOD at this station makes it difficult to justify any
-------
18
correlation more sophisticated than the simple least squares linear
regression line.
These results indicate most clearly that a very important
factor affecting water quality inside Jamaica Bay is the supply of
nutrients to the planktonic population. The supply of nutrients is
directly related to the quantities of waste present in the Bay at any
time. Sewage treatment plant effluents are quite rich in nutrient
materials—nitrates and phosphates in particular. The accumulation
of nutrients is related to the degree of flushing which occurs in
the system as well as to the rate at which nutrients are utilized.
It is necessary, therefore, to obtain some.estimate of flush-
ing processes from the available information on the system and to
relate this to the change in tidal prism brought about by the pro-
posed hurricane barrier plans. The BOD data are chosen to accomplish
this because these data are not affected by quite as many indeterminate
parameters as are the DO data. From the data at Station C and those
representing the mean of the stations within Jamaica Bay and from
some general theoretical considerations of the tidal prism and ex-
change phenomena, a quasi-theoretical mathematical model of the BOD-
Tidal Prism relationship of the system has been developed. The BOD
values calculatable from this model are regarded as measures of the
total waste load, and therefore nutrient, accumulation in Jamaica
Bay.
-------
19
This mathematical model consists of these equations:
(0.0802 - .012 T )
(1) K = S-
J (T + T_)(l-r)(l0 )
Lo*-y+h(3>L
2tm M tm
(0.037 - .0199 T ) L.
(2) K = (0.920 + 0.12 T ) K, + _ E 1
° P J T (l-r)(lO )
The symbols have these meanings:
Kj = BOD concentration in Jamaica Bay, ppm
K
C = BOD concentration at Station C, ppm
= Background BOD concentration, ppm
T = Volume of Tidal Prism, ft^ x 10
P
_Q
Tl = Volume of water in Jamaica Bay at low tide, ft x 10 7
3
T., = Volume of water in Jamaica Bay at mean sea level, ft x
M
L = Waste discharge into Jamaica Bay, lbs. BOD,.
day
= Waste discharge at Coney Island outfall, lbs. BOD,.
day
r = A function of the deoxygenation rate constant = 10
where = 0.10 at 20° C
t = 1.0
The development of this model proceeds from these general con-
siderations :
(l) If there were no flushing of wastes from Jamaica Bay
-------
20
through Rockaway Inlet or vice versa, the total quantity
of waste accumulated in the Bay would be the sum of a
geometric series in which L is the initial term and r
o
is a constant ratio, which is a function of the rate
at which the waste decays. The first term of equation
(1) has the appropriate form in the limit, since, as
T s, 0, ^ T^, and the term involving becomes
zero.
In the presence of tidal action, waste from some dis-
charges will be advected from the system as soon as it
is discharged and some of the waste discharged into
Rockaway Inlet will be immediately advected into Jamaica
Bay. The waste load actually present and undergoing
decomposition within the Bay is directly related to these
advective processes, and the term exhibiting the total •
waste load entering the Bay in one day must be weighted
according to the magnitude of the advective processes.
After a detailed consideration of the relative magnitudes
and locations of the waste discharges and the volumes
of water involved in the tidal exchange, it is postulated
that T adequately represents the advective loss of
-------
2i.
wastes discharged directly to Jamaica Bay, and that
T
p bears a similar relationship to the waste dis-
TL
cnarge into Rockaway Inlet.
(3) There is a change in the total waste load in Jamaica Bay
due to turbulent diffusion of wastes in the volume of
water involved in the tidal exchange. This is directly
related to the volume of the tidal prism.
(4) There is a more or less constant background waste load
due to stir face runoff, direct sewage discharges, and
natural processes. It is postulated that this is also
T
related to —E. in Jamaica Bay. After consideration of
M
the minimum BOD concentrations observed, it was assumed
that thi6 background BOD was about 0.5 ppm under the
observed conditions.
(5) The BOD at Station C, (K ), is partial 1y a function of-
K. and the turbulent diffusion related to the tidal action.
J
(6) The parameter Kq also is dependent upon the geometric
sum of the discharge Lq into and a turbulent diffusion
change different from that in Jamaica Bay, but also
dependent upon the tidal prism. There is also assumed
a small but constant background BOD.
This mathematical model is obviously over-simplified, but the
available data are not sufficient to justify a more sophisticated
model.
-------
28
The mathematical model is used with the present and anticipated
future waste loads to predict waste accumulations in Jamaica Bay and
in Rockaway Inlet for the tidal prism estimated from the T.A.M.S.
report (as cited previously) for each hurricane surge control plan.
The results of these calculations are presented in Table U.
These calculations show that any interference with flow through
Rockaway Inlet will be detrimental to water quality within the Inlet
itself. These results also show that changes in waste load accumula-
tions within Jamaica Bay are very small with any of the hurricane
barrier plans evaluated, in many of the cases axe virtually zero.
These results indicate that a hurricane barrier in Rockaway
Inlet may be beneficial to water quality in Jamaica Bay merely by
keeping waste materials out of the Bay itself. This possibility may
be explored a little further by estimating what the total BOD accu-
mulated in Jamaica Bay might be in the absence of any flushing at all.
If the same rate constant factor used in the previous calculations is
used here, the concentration of BOD._ in Jamaica Bay due to the three
5
sewage treatment plant discharges is about 0.5 ppm. This indicates
that a major fraction of the BOD in the system is being introduced
from other sources; the Coney Island outfall is in an excellent posi-
tion to be a major source of the remaining BOD.
It is informative to note that dye studies in the hydraulic
model of New York Harbor* showed that simulated waste discharges from
* "Joint Pollution Studies on the New York Harbor Model." Miscellaneous
Paper 2-558 (February 1963), U. S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment
Station, Vicksburg, Miss. _
-------
23>
Table 4
Estimated Waste Load Accumulations In Jamaica Bay
and Rockaway Inlet Resulting From Hurricane Barriers
Waste Load Accumulation
(per cent of Base condition)
Channel For Present Loads For Future Loads
Modification Jamaica Bay Rockaway Inlet Jamaica Bay Rockaway¦Inlet
None (Base
Conditions)
100
100
100
100
Plan A
110
190
107
201
Plan B
99
13^
104
1W
Plan C
105
133
10^
137
Plan D
102
llU
102
116
Plan E
98
107
98
108
Plan F
100
106
101
107
-------
2k'
several waste treatment plants in the New York complex reached Jamaica
Bay in significant concentrations. The total BOD concentration
P
entering Jamaica Bay from three sewage treatment plants in New York
and New Jersey is estimated at 0.3-0.4 ppm from the results of these
dye studies.
While the total amount of information available on the Jamaica
Bay system is not sufficient to present a quantitative estimate of the
sources of waste present in Jamaica Bay and Rockaway Inlet, the avail-
able data do point out that the waste loads accumulated in Jamaica Bay
come partly from areas external to the Bay. An intensive model study
and possibly a prototype study would be necessary, to develop the data
required for a quantitative estimate of the sources of waste in Jamaica
Bay and in Rockaway Inlet.
It is important to recognize that the mathematical models upon
which the results presented in Table k are based cure not sufficiently
detailed to provide an appreciation of what effects hurricane barriers
may have on the internal circulation of Jamaica Bay or upon the dis-
persal of wastes discharged into Rockaway Inlet. Both the T:A.M.S.
mathematical model (as presented in the report cited) and the mathemat-
ical model presented in this report are based upon a gross apprecia-
tion of the hydraulics of the system. While it is believed that both
of these models are adequate in the present stage of project investi-
gation, a more detailed knowledge of the internal current and water
mass movement regime in the system are essential if a more accurate
-------
25
evaluation of these several plans is required. Hydraulic model studies
are strongly recommended :Ln this case.
The most significant feature of any plan which involves con-
striction of Rockaway Inlet is the potential established for the
accumulation of nutrient materials ill Jamaica Bay and the concomitant
algal blooms which may result from such an accumulation. The available
information does not provide direct evidence of present conditions
related to algal blooms and die-offs in Jamaica Bay. The indirect
evidence suggests that there are no serious problems of this type at
the present time. Without direct evidence, however,, it is necessary
to exercise extreme caution in evaluating the effects of each hurricane
barrier plan on biological phenomena in the system.
Table k shows that each plan except Plan E may result in a very
slight increase of waste load accumulation in Jamaica Bay. Plan E
may result in a very slight decrease. The ranges of increase or de-
crease associated with each plan, while indicative of trends, are so
slight as to be quantitatively negligible when the data base of these
calculations is considered. The significant effect of the hurricane
barriers on Jamaica Bay appears to be that the decrease in flushing
out of wastes discharged directly into Jamaica Bay is counterbalanced
by a decrease in the influx of wastes through Rockaway Inlet.
The estimated accumulation of wastes in Rockaway Inlet outside
of the barrier as presented in Table k illustrates the importance of
the barriers in reducing the influx of waste into Jamaica Bay. An
-------
26'
increase of pollutional materials in this area is, however, of concern
because of the proximity of intensively used recreational beach areas
such as Coney Island, as well as the proposed Plumb Beach and Marine
Parle Beach recreational areas.
Plan A results in a doubling of the waste load accumulated in
Rockaway Ihlet. Experience in other estuarine regions with BOD_ values
5
in the range represented by this estimate indicates that there may be
occasional severe DO depletion and algal blooms associated with this
amount of waste accumulation. It is possible that relocation of the .
Coney Island outfall farther out to sea would reduce this accumulation
significantly; detailed hydraulic model and prototype investigations
would be necessary to determine this. The cost of such a relocation,
in excess of $1,000 per lineal foot of pipe, would probably be pro-
hibitive .
Plans B, C, and D also result in a significant increase in the
accumulation of wastes in Rockaway Inlet. The magnitude of the in-
crease associated with each of these plans is not, however, so great
as to rule out their further consideration as feasible hurricane barrier
projects. A potential hazard related to Plans C and D is the possible
pollution of Rockaway Beach by wastes flushed out of Jamaica Bay
through the new navigation inlet. The likelihood of such an occur-
rence could be established only by a hydraulic model study.
Plans E and F would result in a small increase in the wastes
accumulated in Rockaway Inlet. The amount of this increase is not
-------
2T
large enough to indicate that either of these plans would result in
a significant damage to water quality.
The data presently available on the Jamaica Bay system are
adequate to indicate the general trends previously discussed. This
gross evaluation is consistent with the survey scope of the present
report. It is felt, however, that the currently available information
is not adequate to permit the detailed calculations of either beneficial
or adverse effects on water quality which will ultimately be required
prior to the design stage of this project. Any assessments of benefits
or damages would have to be based upon the reduction or increase in
sewage treatment costs, the relocation of outfalls, and the benefits
or losses in recreational potential in other water uses in the area.
The development of the necessary data to serve as a basis for such
computations would involve intensive field and model investigations
of Jamaica Bay, Rockaway Inlet, and the sewage treatment plants and
recreational facilities involved. Such investigations are beyond the
scope of this study.
-------
PAGE NOT
AVAILABLE
DIGITALLY
-------
3.0 4.0 5.0 6.0 7.0
TIDE RANGE IN JAMAICA BAY (FT.)
B.O.D. AND D.O. RESULTS AT
INDIVIDUAL STATIONS AS FUNCTIONS
OF TIDE RANGE
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH EDUCATION 8 WELFARE
PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE
REGION H
NEW YORK , N .Y.
F.JGURE 2
-------
_
100
o
(—
<
cc
80
U
1—
<
co
s?
-Z.
Ul
60
o
>-
X
o
Q
UJ
40
>
o
CO
CO
5
20
100
z.
o
p
<
a:
ZD
80
h-
<
CO
6-?
Z
UJ
60
o
>
X
o
Q
LU
40
>
j
i . J
O
CO
CO
Q
20
1 ° I
f
1 D.O. VALUE
O
LEAST SQUARES
REGRESSION
LINES
(b) STATION C
4.0 5.0 6.0 7.0
TIDE RANGE IN JAMAICA BAY (FT.)
4.0
3.0
E
Q.
Q.
2.0 ~
Q
O
GO
1.0
0.0
8.0
E
Cl
Q.
Q
o
00
MEAN VALUES OF B.O.D. AND D.O.
AS FUNCTIONS OF TIDE RANGE
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH EDUCATION & WELFARE
PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE
REGION H
NEW YORK. N.Y.
FIGURE 3
------- |