Sewage Spill in Ossining, Westchester County

In response to a sewage main break and spill in Ossining, reported by Westchester County on August 11th, Riverkeeper sampled in the vicinity of the spill in the morning on Friday, August 12th and again on Monday, August 15th. The spill was stopped late in the on Friday the 12th.

On the 12th, while the spill was flowing at a rate of 1.5 million gallons a day (and had been for an unknown number of days), we found very high sewage counts in the creek where the spill was flowing but only slightly elevated sewage levels at nearby Ossining Beach. Further offshore, in the middle of the river, the water quality was acceptable. Downriver, around Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown, and upriver at Croton Point Park, the water quality was acceptable.

Then there was significant rainfall on Sunday, August 14th. When we sampled again in the 15th we found worse water quality as a result of 3.7 inches of rain than we found resulting from the spill.