The Environmental Protection Agency a.k.a. The Bureau of Bloodthirsty Job-Killing Werewolves released an expansive report [pdf] last month that recommends a 10-year plan to dredge and replace layers of matter kindly referred to as "sediment" in the Gowanus canal, costing close to $500 million. Per CERCLA, polluters are required to pick up Superfund bills, and as expected, gas companies and other businesses who dumped chemicals and had unprotected sex with the Gowanus Canal are doing their damndest to limit their liability. Add the City of New York to that list: the Department of Environmental Protection says the Gowanus' troubles have little to do with the tons of poop that it pumps into the canal each year. more ›

In July, a four-alarm fire ravaged the engine room of the North River Wastewater Treatment Plant along the Hudson River, sending raw sewage into the Hudson, East and Harlem Rivers. It took the Department of Environmental Protection three days to stop the sewage from pouring into the waterways—but beaches were closed and other water activities were discouraged for weeks after while the cleanup continued. Now it seems the DEP has found the root cause of the damage: a loose nut. more ›

A cesspool worker was found dead last night in a vat of sewage at a housing complex in Smithtown, Long Island. Police found the body of 43-year-old Richard Dennison, of Central Islip, around 6:45 p.m. last night, after his wife became worried because he hadn't returned home from work. Dennison, who was employed by Oakdale-based United Cesspool Services, was working at the Avalon Commons apartment complex emptying out accumulated sewage in the vat—when something went horribly wrong. more ›

Every time there is heavy rainfall here in the city it comes rushing into our sewers in such volumes that our wastewater treatment plants just can't take it, so they let a whole lotta sewage into our waterways—something we were all reminded of when the North River Wastewater Treatment Plant in Harlem caught on fire this summer. But it doesn't have to be that way, and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the New York City Department of Environmental Protection have come to an interesting agreement to try and slow the brown tide. more ›

The North River Wastewater Treatment Plant in Harlem is back in action and the DEP says our waterways are safe for swimming again. But are they really? A new Riverkeeper report regarding the Hudson Estuary says yes—most of the time. Also? Be grateful you don't live in Albany. more ›

The NY Times has a dramatic account of the everyday heroics needed to get the uptown wastewater treatment plant working after a devastating fire—wading in 8 feet of raw sewage, anyone? more ›

Yesterday, NYC Swim held its annual Brooklyn Bridge swim, a 1K across the East River. About 400 people participated, which apparently was less than in previous years. It seems that some may have been thinking about the warnings about raw sewage which was dumped into waterways after a four-alarm fire that devastated a wastewater treatment plant. more ›

Good news from the DEP! Our short Metropolitan nightmare of feces-filled rivers may be coming to a close. The DEP is starting to turn the engines back on at the North River wastewater treatment plant, which means that the raw sewage dump that has been going on since Wednesday's fire may soon be over. more ›

It is hot out there but if you are looking to cool down you probably don't want to take a dip in the Hudson. See, because of that four-alarm fire at the North River wastewater treatment plant yesterday the DEP is currently discharging gallons and gallons of raw sewage into the river. more ›

While the Secretariat building of the United Nations has been undergoing renovations, the UN Security Council has been meeting in the basement. And unfortunately, basement means sewage pipes and a broken sewage pipe meant that the world leaders were temporarily forced to smell something totally gross. The diplomats and 150 school kids at the UN for a Security Council meeting were evacuated because of a "disruption in the basement sewage system caused by a high tide on the adjacent East River." more ›

The digester tanks at the Wards Island Water Pollution Control Plant extract lots of gas from raw sewage. But a lot of that gas is going to waste, and the Department of Environmental Protection is looking for someone to put it to good use. The Post calls it a "poop-to-power project," and reports that some of the gas "has been used for heating at the treatment plants in the past, but all the excess gas has to be burned off, which creates greenhouse gases." more ›

Bleccch: Westchester County dumped 4.4 million gallons of treated sewage into the Hudson River last month—and didn't say a word, according to the Journal News. The disgusting event was apparently an "accident," which is no excuse for environmental group Riverkeeper. Riverkeeper's John Lipscombe said, "They've got to warn when there's a release — accidental or planned. It's unethical not to." more ›

New Yorkers are quick to kvetch about the city, saying it's too clean and has lost its edge. But you know what is one benefit of all that cleanliness and modernity? Indoor plumbing. Residents of the Baruch Houses on the Lower East Side are pretty miffed that for the past year raw sewage and garbage has been spewing from a pipe onto the street. "It's embarrassing. You can't bring people to your neighborhood because they see this and are like what kind of neighborhood are you living in?" resident Morris Spitzer told NY1. We think this qualifies as the Bad Old Days. more ›

Mayor Bloomberg's gonna spoil us! First he gets rid of all the smokers, then he gives us bike paths and waterfront parks, and now he's going to clean the fecal matter out of our harbor. Some of it, anyway. As you may know, during heavy rainfall (or blackouts) untreated sewage and storm water is released into the East River, New York Harbor, Jamaica Bay, the Gowanus Canal (disgusting video!) and Newtown Creek. But the Bloomberg Administration is planning to spend $1.5 billion over the next 20 years to retain that waste. By the time Bloomberg's in his tenth term, sewer overflows could be reduced by 40 percent! more ›

The Brooklyn tornado took out a lot of trees earlier this month, but did you know it also transformed the Gowanus Canal into a flowing body of raw sewage? Check it out below, it's just like the chocolate river in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory except—strike that, reverse it—it is not at all like the chocolate river in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. [Warning: You may want to watch this after lunch.] more ›

Dozens of houses in Queens and Nassau County are nearly uninhabitable after Monday's storms caused floods, broken windows, and (eww) sewer leaks. At least 100 people had to be evacuated from their homes, and an 8-foot wall section collapse ruptured a gas main. A foundation wall collapsed in the home of Shabana Patel, who said, “It was a dream house for us the two of us have worked so hard. We didn’t know something like this would destroy my home." more ›

Earlier this month, the city vowed to cut ties with New York Organic Fertilizer Company, which was responsible for an odious smell that left residents in Hunts Point feeling very fowl. Well, don't inhale too deeply yet Hunts Point residents: the NYOFCO isn't planning on going anywhere. Even if the city does terminate their contract in June, as was promised, the company will try importing sludge from elsewhere. They also plan to try to salvage the agreement with the city with deeper discounts. more ›

“I’ve been knee deep in raw sewage at 7:15 in the morning, and let me tell you, it don’t smell like Folgers in your cup,” griped Anthony Mongiello, one of many city sewage workers up in arms over his industry's longtime wage freeze. Because of union foibles, some sewage plant employees haven't gotten a raise in fifteen years, reports the Times. Their average salary has continued to hover around $42,000, while their private sector counterparts are sometimes paid twice as much. “It’s disrespectful,” said Michael Enright, an 18-year sewage plant veteran. “I’ve got to change bearings and seals on million-dollar pumps with raw sewage flowing between my legs, and we make less than an auto mechanic.” more ›

The Long Island teen whose cesspool death made headlines yesterday spoke to his 14-year-old cousin as he tried to stay afloat. "I think I broke my arm. I feel blood running," he said, I don't wanna let go. I don't wanna let go.'" Ameri Zequiri was taking out the trash behind the Smithtown Dunkin Donuts where he worked when he stepped into an uncovered manhole and fell 20 feet. more ›

A worker at a Smithtown Dunkin' Donuts died yesterday after falling into an eight-foot deep cesspool behind the store. Amiri Zeqiri, 17, had been taking out the garbage past 9 p.m. when he fell through what was described as an "open manhole" by Newsday (subscription required). more ›

It's the question that's baffled every four-year-old in America. Where does the water go when you flush the toilet? Now, thanks to this map from the environmental health organization Habitat Map, you can find out the answer. The map breaks down the city into color-coded "sewagesheds," allowing New Yorkers can figure out if their toilets contribute to the stench that has long plagued sections of Brooklyn near the Owls Head Wastewater Treatment Plant, or if heavy rains cause their flushes to become a part of the 586 million gallons of raw sewage poured into Newtown Creek annually, or the 1.43 billion gallons dumped into the waters off of Astoria every year. It's also the perfect complement to this map of New York City public toilets. more ›

You know what doesn't help out Newtown Creek's reputation right now, while being considered for Superfunding? The Greenpoint commercial building owner who has been dumping sewage into the body of water. Reportedly Jose Torres, the owner of the properties at 251, 257 and 259 North Henry Street, was charged in an 81-count indictment this week. "Authorities said that instead of being hooked up to the sewer system, the commercial buildings had their toilets and sinks connected directly to a storm-water drainage system underground." Torres faces a fine of nearly $2 million. more ›

In the latest article in NY Times' series "Toxic Waters," about the "worsening pollution in American waters, and regulators’ response," the focus is on sewer systems. And the main example is here in NYC, starting at the Owls Head Water Pollution Control Plant, "where much of Brooklyn’s sewage is treated." And you will never think about a rain fall the same way again. more ›

The opening line in this Wired article is sort of terrifying: "It's 2020, and cities are so overcrowded that it’s impossible to deliver packages." The megalopolis of the future sounds claustrophobic to say the least, but just how will we get our much needed crap delivered to our doors and desks? Before it breeds post-consumer waste, it'll travel through the sewer systems! more ›

Three workers at a private recycling facility in Jamaica, Queens died while trapped in a sewage hole earlier this afternoon. According to NY1, "The men were subcontractors pumping three to four feet of water out of the hole, which was about 18-feet deep. One worker fell into the hole and the two others fell in while trying to help him." And CityRoom reports that two of the workers were a father and a son. The hole was full of hydrogen sulfide and fire officials said there was twice the lethal amount of the colorless gas, which the CDC says "can also result from bacterial breakdown of organic matter. It is also produced by human and animal wastes." Queens Borough Commander John Sudnik said, "It's toxic. At 50 parts per million, it's lethal in 10 minutes." Initially, the FDNY had called Con Ed to bring vacuum trucks, which helps suck debris from manholes, to Regal Recycling Co. but then cancelled the request because the victims were dead. more ›

Yesterday, a number of beaches, including Coney Island and Manhattan Beach, were closed after concerns that raw sewage, which overflowed from a sewage plant, had contaminated the water. But one beachgoer at Coney Island ignored the many announcements and actually decided on a swim—only to be "cited for failing to comply with an officer" (the Daily News also has a photo of him being restrained from possibly heading back to the water). Others were disappointed, telling the Daily News, "We were looking forward to this day all week. It takes two hours to get here from the Bronx. The water looks okay to me," and "In New York, they exaggerate. They see a mosquito flying near the water, and they make a big deal." Beaches are reopening, but swimming is not allowed. more ›

Those out in Coney Island today for the all-day Coney Island Bordwalk Party may have jumped the gun by wearing their swim trunks. The Parks Department closed off the water in Coney due to possible raw sewage overflow from a local treatment plant. Nearby Manhattan Beach was also shut down for the same reason, but both beaches remain open to sunbathers. Earlier in the weekend, Nassau County had shut down 22 beaches because of the heavy rain on Friday and yesterday it was revealed that a sizable chunk of Robert Moses State Park would have to close down due to erosion. more ›

It was, oh, about one year ago that fisherman Robert Skonieczny first caught wind of an awful stench coming in the direction of Tottenville on Staten Island. Courageously, Skonieczny tracked the odors along Arthur Kill to its source: a storm drain spewing feces and other human waste into a marsh that feeds the bay! A call to 311 was placed, and he was told an investigator would be dispatched to the area. But over time, the smell got worse, the water in the marina got murkier, and the storm drain continued spewing feces, feminine hygiene products and toilet paper. Until yesterday! The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) was on the scene and finally fixed an obstructed sanitary sewer that was diverting the waste to the storm sewers. DEP says they never received a complaint until this Monday, and suggested maybe Skonieczny's complaint got sent to the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), but that city agency tells the Staten Island Advance they weren't alerted until last Friday. In other sewage news, be advised this is not the weekend for a dip in the Hudson; some 2 million gallons of raw sewage could be dumped in the river Sunday while a pipeline is repaired in Yonkers. more ›