NYCkayaker The Yonkers spill

[Richard Clifford]

NYCKayaker:
    Two things for any of you to consider before going out on the River.

    First, the Westchester County Health Department issued its advisory 
on Friday, May 4. (below) We also understand that the repairs were made 
sometime on Sunday when the flow was stopped. To me, the spill rate 
appears to be both an estimate and significant flow into the River. The 
weather also is trending warmer. All of this may lead to exposure 
significant amount of bacteria by any boaters.

    Second, there is a story in the Journal News today that places the 
volume of the spill at 7.5 million gallons. Perhaps a scientist can tell 
the community about the dispersal, range and dissipation of the sewage. 
I have no idea if it is in Croton or how far upstream it could have 
traveled on the current.

    Rob Morrow who is quoted in today's Journal News article makes a 
good point about being advised of any spills. But, I posted a advisory 
on NYCKayaker at 11 A.M. on Saturday morning concerning the spill. The 
bigger issue of advance warning for this area is not so much the sewage 
spill, but some heads up about the Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant. As 
for his inability to understand or appreciate at the time that he was 
slogging through raw sewage and excrement, but thought that it was "mud" 
is something that I hope never to do. Maybe its a good time to come over 
to the Long Island Sound for some paddling.

    So, why not develop another plan for recreational activities and 
wait a few days before getting onto the River? And, no, what doesn't 
kill you will not make you stronger. It will make you sick, as we all 
have been advised.

    You are well advised to make your choices wisely. - Richard Clifford
 

*FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 4, 2007
ADVISORY FOR BOATERS, MARINAS & RECREATIONAL WATER USERS*
The Westchester County Department of Health is issuing an alert to 
boaters and marinas on the Hudson
River that a sewage break involving a major sewage line at the Greystone 
Train Station in Yonkers has resulted
in the discharge of untreated sewage into the river. Efforts are 
underway at this time to repair the broken line
and expectations are that the discharge will be stopped by early 
tomorrow morning.
As a precaution, boaters and people who use the water for recreational 
purposes should avoid doing so
this weekend. An advisory is being issued to marinas located on the 
Hudson River as well as County and local
police departments.

*It is estimated that the flow rate is approximately four million 
gallons per day and that this break may
result in the release of two to three million gallons of sewage.*
-30-

*Sewage spill stopped, but people still advised to avoid Hudson*
By DIANA COSTELLO AND HANNAN ADELY
THE JOURNAL NEWS

(Original publication: May 7, 2007)

YONKERS -"I feel so unclean."

Those words were uttered by Yonkers resident Bob Morrow, who slogged 
through sewage-infested waters on the Hudson River Saturday morning in 
his kayak, having not heard the news that a sewer line had ruptured the 
day before.

Morrow and a friend paddled from downtown Yonkers to the Hastings border 
and back, as the brown, mucky water splashed on them. The water was 
thicker and smellier than usual, Morrow said, but he thought it was 
caused by runoff from recent flooding.

"We had no idea," he said yesterday. "I thought it was mud. How was I to 
know it was excrement?"

*The sewage leak has been stopped, but kayakers and other area residents 
should continue to avoid any portion of the Hudson River that touches 
Westchester County at least through today, according to county 
officials. The sewer pipeline ruptured on Friday afternoon, spilling 
around 7.5 million gallons of raw sewage near the riverbank.*

"We'll re-evaluate tomorrow when we know a little more of the data," 
Westchester County Health Department spokeswoman Mary Landrigan said 
yesterday.

The sewage leaked out of the pipeline slightly northeast of the 
Greystone Metro-North Railroad station in Yonkers.

Construction crews spent the weekend building a 200-foot steel pipeline 
to bypass the 4-foot sewer main. They completed the project about 10 
a.m. yesterday.

The nearby wetlands appear to have soaked up most of the sewage, 
although "*there's no way to compute" how much ultimately reached the 
river*, according to Tom Lauro, acting commissioner of the county's 
Department of Environmental Facilities.

Workers yesterday afternoon were busy pumping water out of the marsh and 
into the sewer system in an effort to capture any of the waste that 
polluted the area.

"No sewage is going across the marsh into the Hudson," Lauro said. 
"That's all been stopped."

Although ruptures happen occasionally, the county has never suffered a 
leak of such magnitude, Lauro said.

County officials believe that April's record rainfall may have 
contributed to the break, because a landslide on a steep part of the 
riverbank moved enough trees and dirt that the pipe shifted and broke.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation is monitoring the 
leak and repair efforts, but did not have any updates as of yesterday 
afternoon.

The Hudson River Fishermen's Association canceled its 22nd Annual Hooked 
on Hudson fishing contest that was supposed to be held yesterday in Fort 
Lee, N.J., near the George Washington Bridge because of the sewage 
spill. The club did not want to put any children at risk in case of 
bacterial contamination, said association president Carl Bruger.

In the wake of the rupture, Morrow is considering asking the county to 
send alerts related to the Hudson River to the Yonkers Paddling and 
Rowing Club, so kayakers like himself can avoid a similar mess in the 
future.

"The upsetting thing is we really had no process to know there was a 
problem," he said.

*Richard C. Clifford, Esq.*
Attorney at Law
1890 Palmer Avenue, Suite 302
Larchmont, NY 10538

Tel: (914) 834-0100 -or- 0757
Cell: (917) 854-5824
Fax: (914) 834-0888

RichardClifford at earthlink.net 
RichardClifford at NYSBar.com




Dan Starer wrote:

> I was thinking of paddling tomorrow after work but the sewage 
> situation is still unclear.  I just talked to an engineer at the 
> Westchester Dept. of Health.  The spill was stopped at about 10 am 
> Sunday and they are advising not to paddle today.  But they won't say 
> if tomorrow is OK.  If anyone has opinions or further info. please post.
>  
> Dan

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