A fire on Wednesday shut down one of the city’s sewage treatment plans, and now millions of gallons of raw sewage are being pumped into the Hudson River.
The health department has issued a warning not to go into the Hudson through at least Sunday, and boat lanuches on the river have been closed, the New York Times reported. The city’s beaches are supposedly still safe at the moment, but if things get worse, the city’s beaches will also probably have to close — just in time for the nastiest heat wave of the summer!
The fire started in the engine room of the North River Wastewater Treatment Plant in Harlem, which is on the Hudson from 137th to 145th Streets. It handles the entire West Side’s waste North of Greenwich Village, meaning that…is…our…poop.
We’re going to go ahead and remove free kayaking on the Hudson from our list of events for this weekend. Don’t worry, there are lots of other events that don’t involve raw sewage.
Photo of two ducks by the Hudson River by Ed Yourdon via flickr.
