AECOM announced that Newtown Creek CSO Partners, a joint venture of AECOM, Parsons Corporation and EPC Consultants Inc., has been selected by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) to provide construction supervision services for the City’s first combined sewer overflow (CSO) storage tunnel and pump station project. 

The project involves the construction of a large underground tunnel system stretching approximately 3.25 miles beneath parts of Brooklyn and Queens. It will include key components such as storage and conveyance tunnels, a dewatering pump station, and connections to the Newtown Creek Wastewater Resource Recovery Facility. The tunnel is designed to temporarily store excess stormwater and sewage during heavy rainfall events, preventing untreated discharges into nearby waterways. Once the storm subsides, the stored wastewater will be pumped to treatment facilities.

A major objective of the project is to reduce combined sewer overflows into Newtown Creek, a waterway that has historically suffered from industrial pollution and sewage contamination. The new system is expected to provide storage capacity of up to 50 million gallons, significantly decreasing the volume of untreated wastewater entering the creek during storms. This will help improve water quality, protect ecosystems, and contribute to public health and environmental restoration in the surrounding communities.