VanLare Wastewater Treatment Facility - General
Information
The Frank E. VanLare Wastewater Treatment Facility dates from
1917. The original Rochester Sewage Treatment Plant, formerly
the Durand Eastman Plant, was completed in 1917 and has since
been expanded and modified on several occasions. 1976 was the
first full year of operation for the new facilities at the VanLare
Plant.
Initially, the plant provided only primary treatment to the wastewater.
The plant began providing primary and secondary treatment in
1975.
Located on the southern shore of Lake Ontario, the plant serves
the entire population of the City of Rochester (475,000) and its
environs along with its associated industries. The plant is manned
by 97 workers.
A 10-foot diameter outfall line runs from the treatment plant
three miles out into Lake Ontario where the normal water currents
in the lake carry the effluent away from the shore line. The
retention time in the lake in approximately seven years. The
line is steel and sized from 450 million gallons daily (mgd) maximum
flow with an anticipated life of 100 years.
The plant has a total treatment capacity of 600 mgd, and is permitted
for 135 mgd, with a current daily average of 100 mgd. The plant
also contains a deep-rock tunnel system designed to convey and
control stormwater during wet weather events.
