Avoid contact with the Hudson River until further notice, advises the Westchester County Health Department.
Because of flooding conditions from Hurricane Sandy, several waste treatment plants have been shut down in Westchester, resulting in the discharge of raw or partially treated sewage into the river at various points today.
Raw sewage is entering the Hudson in Crotonville and North Yonkers, while partially treated sewage is entering the Hudson at the Yonkers treatment plant.
Also, a leaking pipe led to sewage flooding the treatment center in Nyack. Orangetown DEME workers pumped the water to an outlet that flows into the Hudson.
From the Health Department release:
The Westchester County Department of Health is advising people who use the Hudson River waters for recreational purposes, namely swimmers, boaters, kayakers and windsurfers to avoid direct contact with the water until further notice along the Westchester shoreline.
The Westchester County Department of Environmental Facilities shut down the Crotonville Pump Station at 10:05 a.m. Tuesday due to tidal flooding. Untreated sewage is entering the Hudson River via the Croton River on the Croton-Ossining border until further notice.
At 10:50 p.m. Monday, the North Yonkers pump station became flooded and its pumps went out of service, allowing screened raw sewage to be released to the Hudson River until further notice.
Earlier, at 8:45 p.m., the Department of Environmental Facilities asked Consolidated Edison to cut power to the Yonkers Wastewater Treatment Plant due to flooding in the plant, both to protect equipment and for the safety of employees. As a result, partially treated sewage has been released into the river since then.
Stay tuned for further updates.
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