Where it comes from and where it goes:

LESEC now offers a three-part curriculum examining New York City’s water infrastructure and the big picture of CSO pollution:

• The Citizen’s Guide to the Sewershed (click to download) is a printable handbook to the city’s largest drainage area, the Newtown Creek Sewershed. The guide includes maps, photos and facts about the area’s natural history, modern infrastructure, residents and representatives.
  
  
• The Water Underground video is a 25-minute student-led exploration of where water comes from, where it goes and what happens along the way. THE WUG VIDEO IS NOW VIEWABLE ONLINE HERE(opens a new window)
  
  
• Make Your Own CSO Model is a portable, working model of a NYC combined sewer, treatment plant, stormdrains, overflows and all!

The Citizen's Guide to the Sewershed provides local information on the issue of combined sewer overflow (CSO) in the Newtown Creek drainage area of New York City.  LESEC has used the Citizen's Guide in its own lessons, and offers it to teachers, students and the interested public. To download a 1.8MB PDF version of the guide, click here. You can request higher-resolution versions of any of the maps or photos by emailing tara@lesecologycenter.org

Get in the know on CSO with LESEC

Combined Sewer Overflow – or CSO – occurs when wet weather overwhelms the City's sewage treatment process, and results in approximately 27 billion gallons of untreated wastewater being discharged into the estuary each year -- from the 5 boroughs alone!  While experts consider CSO pollution to be the leading threat to water quality in the estuary, it is of particular concern to the wide range of waterfront users that work, learn and recreate right where CSOs happen. Understanding more about CSO pollution is an important part of protecting yourself at the water's edge.

The Water Underground and CSO Model
In spring of 2006, the Ecology Center partnered with Center for Urban Pedagogy, City-as-School, and RECYouth to explore the Water Underground – the millions of gallons of water that enters the city, gets used in various ways and discharged to local waterways each day. During this semester-long project, students and teachers developed a video about their investigation as well as a portable, working model of a NYC sewer - backups, overflows and all.  The video can be accompanied by art activities and classroom debates, and is appropriate for high school ages and up.

The model demonstration covers point and non-point source pollution, potable water, stormwater management and more. The model is appropriate for all ages.

To schedule a visit for your class or organization, or to learn more about CSO education at LESEC, contact:

Tara DePorte
Program Director
(212) 477-4022
tara@lesecologycenter.org

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