Toward a New Paradigm: Implementing Reimagined Coastal Wastewater Infrastructure 
By: Sabrina Tenteromano & Christian Chow, Students of the Master of Science in Urban Sustainability at The City College of New York

Date: August 13, 2021

Registration: HERE

Abstract. What barriers exist to converging circular economy technologies with existing coastal wastewater treatment plants while providing benefits to local, coastal communities burdened by these underutilized industrial sites? What solutions can we recommend? Our research capitalizes on the work of two preceding research teams that outlined a vision for converging circular economy technologies with a chosen coastal wastewater treatment plant in need of upgrading. The goal of our ongoing research is to investigate potential barriers and solutions at this site in order to advance this vision. Our research is divided into three categories with corresponding barriers and solutions: Planning and Institutional: Finance and Economic: Community Integration::Interagency Communication: Conceptual Budget Estimates: Funding and Finance Options. These categories represent a set of recommendations that offer an organizational logic, interagency communication approaches, a budgetary conceptual estimate, funding and financing options, and facilitate community participation that will be laid out in a final "playbook" deliverable.

Sabrina is an arts and communications professional, with interest in shortening social responses to the climate crisis. She pursues a Master in Sustainability in an effort to bring a more technical and holistic foundation to her work and to springboard into the public sector. As a student, Sabrina has leveraged her background in the arts to gain work experience at various non profits. She hopes to continue to use her skills in project management and creative communication to advance a multi-pronged agenda that tackles the issues that intersect at the FEW nexus, sustainability, and the climate crisis. 

Christian holds a B.S. in environmental engineering, and is currently pursuing a Master in Sustainability. His undergraduate studies sparked an interest in water/wastewater research, ledding him to gain expertise in hydrologic and hydraulic designs that deal with issues related to wastewater such as combined sewer overflows (CSOs). Christian is committed to designing and engineering sustainable infrastructure that is safe for the environment, saves money and improves social equity.