Site Visit | Newtown Creek
Students will tour the Newtown Creek Wastewater Resource Recovery Facility to understand the often-invisible infrastructure managing New York City’s wastewater. Students will see the facility’s iconic digester eggs, learn how wastewater is treated and resources recovered, and explore how surrounding spaces incorporate green infrastructure and community-oriented design into essential municipal infrastructure. The total duration will be about 90 minutes, with a formal 30-minute presentation followed by a 45-minute tour of the Newtown Creek facility with time for Q&A
Please note: The deadline confirm participation is November 11. Registration requires your full name, email, and contact number.
Please note that the site visit has limited capacity and priority is given to students currently enrolled in either Civic Analytics or Innovative City Governance. Registrants will be notified if they are selected to participate.
Important Guidelines
Review this Planning Your Field Trip guide for important reminders, code of conduct guidelines, and logistics.
Everyone must wear appropriate footwear (closed toe and back shoes).
During the tour, students and chaperones will be given DEP hard hats and reflective safety vests to walk around parts of the facility.
A tour allows visitors access to view some components of the process and operations that occur at the facility (i.e., Main Control Room). It takes place both indoors and outdoors. Please Note: due to ongoing facility work, tours will not go to the top of the Digester Eggs at this time. We cannot guarantee touring specific parts of the facility due to potential inclement weather or changes to daily operations at the facility.
Travel Directions
The Visitor Center is located at 329 Greenpoint Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11222. It’s a two-story orange tiled building. Click here for directions by public transit and car.
For School Buses: Follow directions to 329 Greenpoint Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11222 – you will arrive at a traffic light at Greenpoint Avenue and Humboldt Street and see a break in the fence-line that surrounds the Newtown Creek Wastewater Resource Recovery Facility. Turn into the facility here and pull up to the security guard’s gatehouse. School buses can park on site during scheduled programs once you have signed in with the security guard. DEP Educators will be there to meet your school bus.
For personal vehicles: If you or any of your attendees plan to drive personal vehicles, please note that visitor parking is limited and first-come, first-serve. Some street parking may also be available in the area. Please reach out to us beforehand if you have any questions.