The water treatment plant Veolia operates near Jersey City, New Jersey, is abuzz with GreenUp energy, thanks to the recent addition of pollinator gardens and beehives to the bucolic Boonton Reservoir campus.
The same can be said for the Veolia electronics recycling center in West Bridgewater, MA, where the bustle of Veolia teams inside the facility is matched by the addition of two busy beehives outside.
The hives and pollination efforts are a demonstration of Veolia’s commitment to biodiversity in action, said Shaina Dinsdale, Chief Sustainability Officer.
“It’s great to see the cross-collaboration taking place across Veolia as our teams initiate projects to preserve and protect the habitats, ecosystems and wildlife biodiversity across the locations where we work,” Shaina said. “The beehives are a terrific example of that, and I send my thanks and congratulations to the teams in Jersey City and West Bridgewater.”
In New Jersey, Jersey City Plant Manager Sean Irwin worked with Veolia Supervisor of Performance Management Emma Smith to spearhead an initiative to beautify and diversify the open spaces at the Boonton Reservoir property. After installing pollinator gardens last spring, Emma hoped to optimize their impact, prompting the Jersey City team to contact Veolia Sustainability Program Manager Charlotte Ellis and ultimately coordinate the addition of an active beehive.
Miles Foxworth, an underwriter for Beazley (no pun intended–“Beazley” is the insurance company funding the hives at the site), attended the installation on June 9. Beekeeper Matthew Flood of BestBees drove the hive of roughly 50,000 bees out from his location in Queens (again, no pun intended) so they could get to work in the idyllic, rural setting along the reservoir.
“I think the reservoir promotes a lot of growth,” said Matthew. “It’s clear here, so the hive will get a lot of sun every day, and when it’s sunny, they’re out foraging. They have about three square miles to forage, which has them all around the reservoir, so they’ll do well.”
To further minimize the impact to biodiverse organisms near the treatment plant, which is located along the Rockaway River Watershed, Veolia teams set up bear-resistant fences to protect the hive. The resident hive is made up of bees that are remarkably docile and not prone to sting, which will allow BestBees personnel to harvest honey from the site with relative ease.
Serving roughly 400,000 residents, the water treated by Veolia personnel at the Jersey City Water Treatment Plant travels through 23 miles of aqueducts and mains before arriving at faucets across the Hudson River from New York City in Jersey City and Hoboken.
Similarly, the Veolia Environmental Solutions and Services team in West Bridgewater is nurturing beehives to help protect the biodiversity surrounding the facility. The team, which is part of the ESS Electronics Recycling Division, supports the environment by recycling materials in electronics.
West Bridgewater has maintained a wide-ranging biodiversity program for several years, and set up two functioning beehives on the property in late May. Operations Manager Paul Conca oversees the site and the efforts, while the hives are being maintained by BestBees. Because honeybees are great pollinators, they have proven to be a great asset to the community. Once full, the honey will be collected and distributed to employees at the site, and new boxes will replace the full ones.
“The bees are very active, and it’s great to see the enthusiasm for biodiversity on the part of our employees,” Paul said.
Along with the hives, the West Bridgewater team also recently seeded the top of the nearby septic system and an area on the side of the building with clover seed. The seeds have taken and should have flowers soon.
The Supervisor of Performance Management, Emma Smith, and Jersey City Plant Manager, Sean Irwin, assist Beekeeper Matthew Flood with the installation of hives at the Boonton Reservoir
Located 23 miles from Jersey City, the Boonton Reservoir along New Jersey’s Rockaway River is the source for the 50MGD water treatment plant serving 400,000 residents in Hoboken and Jersey City
Hives containing over 50,000 bees are now producing honey at the Jersey City Water Treatment Plant in Boonton, New Jersey
One of the beehives at Veolia's electronics recycling facility in West Bridgewater, Massachusetts