New Windsor: Sewage Treatment Plant

Since 1998, sewage effluent has seeped out of two manholes on a small island in the middle of Moodna Creek. The effluent – treated water leaving the New Windsor Sewage Treatment Plant – still contained low levels of organic matter, polluting the Creek with fecal coliform and possibly other organisms, suspended solids, and altered pH levels. In addition to polluting the Creek, the effluent created a ring of muck around each manhole in which no plant life could survive, swampy enough that one person nearly got stuck in the muck. Located in New Windsor, these manholes are hidden from view of the mainland shore and can only be accessed by boat or by wading out to the islands at low tide.

Riverkeeper sued the Town of New Windsor under the Clean Water Act to abate these illegal discharges. The case – led by a law student from the Pace Environmental Law Clinic – was settled on February 25, 2005. New Windsor has agreed to raise and install watertight seals on the manholes, repair any other nearby leaks in the effluent pipe, and remediate all areas of collected sludge surrounding the manholes. In addition, New Windsor will create a canoe launch near the New Windsor Water Department building, allowing citizens to more easily access and enjoy a cleaner Moodna Creek. These actions should all be completed by mid-September, 2005.