Nearly 30,000 Gallons of Partially Treated Sewage Spill Into Long Island Waterway

Nearly 30,000 gallons of partially treated sewage spilled into Reynolds Channel in Long Beach after a plant operator failed to close a valve, state and local officials said. The discharge lasted about 15 minutes on Sunday and originated from the facility’s primary digester tank. The waste overflowed into the plant’s stormwater system and entered the waterway near the city’s fishing pier.

Beach city officials conducted a multi-day cleanup that is now complete in the waterway, state officials said. Crews continue to work on the storm drain system. The State Department of Environmental Conservation is investigating the incident and monitoring conditions for public health safety, an agency spokesperson told the New York Post.

State officials reported no known immediate impacts to wildlife or marine life. It remains unclear whether the waterway is safe for fishing or swimming. In April, Stony Brook University researchers found the bacteria vibrio vulnificus in multiple Long Island waterways, though Reynolds Channel was not among them.