The advisory against swimming and boating in part of the Hudson River in Westchester County has been lifted, days after sewage was released into the water just north of New York City while repairs were being made.
The Westchester County Department of Health said Friday that recreational activities in the water from Peekskill down to Yonkers should be avoided while a sewer force main was being fixed. That included temporarily shutting down Croton Park Beach and Philise Manor Beach.
On Monday, the county said swimming could resume at those beaches and the water was cleared for boating once again.
The advisory was initially put in place after the county's Department of Environmental Facilities said it was working to repair a section of 24-inch cast iron pipe after a break in a sewer force main in Ossining. The pipe needed to be excavated, then the section cut out and replaced before encased in concrete.
As those repairs were going on, partially treated sewage was discharged at Croton River Road in Ossining, according to the health department. During the time when the repairs were ongoing, up to a million gallons of partially treated sewage were expected to be released into the Hudson River every day, the health department said.
Fortunately, the fixes were completed Friday evening, meaning the sewage was dumped into the river for less than a day. The county said the advisory was kept in place until Monday afternoon — nearly three full days after the fixes were made — in order to ensure there was enough tidal movement in the water to adequately dilute the partially treated sewage.
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