City Departments

Richard L. Dunning II

Chief Operator,
Water Pollution Control Plant

The City of Hornell Water Pollution Control Plant was constructed in 1972, replacing an old style Imhoff Cone settling tank and greenhouse system constructed in the 1930’s. The Hornell WPCP as configured today is described as a medium sized high technology facility. We are an activated sludge plant with tertiary treatments of sand filtration and post-aeration. Hornell WPCP has a design capacity of 4.0 million gallons per day. We presently treat on average 2.7 million gallons of polluted water per day.

The City of Hornell WPCP maintains a National Pollution Discharge Elimination System permit. Our permit number is NY0023647. This permit allows the City to discharge cleaned recycled wastewater to the Canisteo River. Our outfall is located just south and west of our treatment plant in the Canisteo River near the NYSEG electrical power sub-station. Hornell WPCP must maintain our plant in good working order in order to retain this permit. Hornell WPCP staff was honored with the Andrew Weist Award for operations excellence in 2000. This facility received the first place award for the Medium Advanced Technology Treatment plant Category in June of that year.

Plant operators are skilled technicians who are certified by the NYS Department of Conservation. Plant operators manipulate the plant processes in order to effect the best treatment at any given time. Plant operators must also test the plants process waters in our in-house laboratory in order to demonstrate to the DEC and EPA that the pollutants are being removed. This information is collected 365 days a year to ensure that public health and safety standards are maintained. During the 2006 calendar year Hornell WPCP staff was responsible for cleaning up over 730,000,000 gallons of polluted water and returning it to our water shed. This is our community’s largest recycling project, one that we all can be proud of.

Hornell WPCP staff is currently working with the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation to study the effects of New York State wastewater treatment plants effluent on Chesapeake Bay nutrient pollution. This is a multi-state effort that will hopefully lead to our reclaiming one of our most beautiful natural water resources the Chesapeake Bay.

Over the years the City of Hornell WPCP staff has been pleased to host hundreds of tours through this facility. Groups ranging from high school biology classes to Alfred University environmental science and Alfred Tech Trades Schools have toured Hornell WPCP. Interested teachers and community groups may call 607-324 -2682 to schedule a tour. We also may be contacted at hornellwpcp@yahoo.com