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OSSINING, N.Y. Residents who use the Hudson River south of Ossining should avoid swimming, kayaking and any direct contact with river water throughout the weekend, but those who use the river north of Ossining, including Croton Point Park beach, do not have to take special precautions. The Westchester County Department of Health advised late Friday afternoon that the department's advisory has been lifted for points north of Ossining.
The health department issued the first advisory on Thursday after millions of gallons of raw sewage spewed into the Hudson.
The sewage overflow began on Wednesday around 5:15 p.m. after a fire started in the North River wastewater treatment plant on West 135th Street and 12th Avenue in Manhattan from one of the plant's pump engines. The spill is ongoing.
New York City Department of Environmental Protection officials said its department is working as quickly as possible to get the plant running again but "the estimated time to bring the plant back online is undetermined."
Riverkeeper, the environmental advocacy organization, conducted water purity tests up and down the river Thursday to measure the level of contamination from the ongoing spill. Riverkeeper boat captain John Lipscomb sampled waters along the Hudson from the Tappan Zee Bridge down to Battery Park at the tip of Manhattan, Tina Posterli, spokesperson for Riverkeeper, said. The organization was awaiting test results as of late Friday, Posterli said.
Swimming in waters that contain unsafe levels of bacteria could lead to gastrointestinal problems such as diarrhea or infection of wounds, said Paul Gallay, the president of the Ossining-based Riverkeeper, which regularly tests the Hudson waters for levels of bacteria.
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