New York City's $1.3-billion new water system stands as the world's largest-capacity ultraviolet disinfection plant. It is also the country's largest unfiltered surface-water facility, treating and controlling the flow of 2.2 billion gallons of drinking water every day.
The project included several firsts, including the installation of equipment thought to be record-setters for size. For example, each of the plant's 56 UV units has a 40-million-gallon-a-day capacity—said to be the largest built to date.