Poo In The River (It Ain't Winnie Duh!)

The Westchester County Department of Health is notifying residents to avoid direct contact with the Hudson River along Westchester County now throughout the weekend.

A fire at a major wastewater treatment plant at W. 135th Street and 12th Avenue in New York City took the plant out of service and untreated wastewater has been discharging into the Hudson since about 5:15 p.m. Wednesday, according to the New York City Department of Environmental Protection.

The New York City Department of Health is warning swimmers and kayakers to stay out of the Hudson River now through the weekend. Westchester County Department of Health was notified of the incident today and is advising people who use the Hudson River waters along Westchester County for recreational purposes, namely swimmers, windsurfers and kayakers, to avoid direct contact with the Hudson River now throughout the weekend.

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection will be providing updates on the situation as needed at http://www.nyc.gov/html/dep/html/home/home.shtml.