Pomona, August 12 — For the second time in the past four weeks the Rockland County Health Department is warning residents to avoid contact with the Hudson due to sewage in the river. On July 22, the alert was as a result of a fire and sewage spill into the river from NYC’s North River Wastewater Treatment Plant. Today’s warning results from a sewer main break across the river in Ossining.

The Rockland County Department of Health advises residents to avoid direct contact with the Hudson River until further notice. Due to problems accessing the broken main, it has not yet been repaired and there is an ongoing release of approximately 1.5 million gallons per day of untreated sewage into a direct tributary of the Hudson River. Health risks posed by such a discharge of sewage has prompted the Westchester County Health Department to close local bathing beaches, notify marinas, and warn residents to avoid direct contact with the Hudson River.

As a result of the proximity of the release and the tidal nature of the Hudson River, the river could be impacted in the vicinity of Rockland County as well. Therefore, the Rockland County Department of Health advises swimmers, windsurfers, kayakers, boaters and fishermen to avoid the waters of the Hudson River until further notice. We will maintain close communication with Weschester County and New York State officials, and will lift the advisory as soon as information is available to demonstrate that risks associated with this release have been mitigated.

Source: Rockland County Dept of Health, 8/12/2011