Brooklyn’s Backyard is putting your poo to work!
A long-awaited bathroom that transforms human feces into plant food will open inside Prospect Park’s newly renovated Well House on June 19, giving the green space the most technologically advanced toilet of any city park, according to a spokeswoman.
“Prospect Park Alliance has transformed the Well House, one of the oldest buildings in Prospect Park, into the first composting restroom in a New York City public park,” said Deborah Kirschner, a rep for the conservancy.
The new potties use 97-percent less water than standard latrines and, instead of pumping excrement into the city’s sewer system, feed solid waste into a “living ecosystem” where bacteria and other organisms like worms convert the dung into usable compost.
The bathroom will also pump undrinkable water from sinks and drains into an irrigation system that feeds park plants — saving the green space 250,000 gallons of water each year.
The $2.34 million renovation of the Well House was first set to finish in September 2015, but was delayed due to contractor issues, according to the spokeswoman.
“Yes, there were delays, but the end result is amazing,” Kirschner said.
The structure, a pumping station built in 1869 to feed water into Prospect Park Lake, is one of the oldest buildings still standing in the park. But it became obsolete sometime between 1914 and 1935 after the meadow was connected to the city’s water system.
Other renovations to the Well House include a repaired roof, reconstructed exterior walls, and fresh landscaping around it.
