Superstorm Sandy struck October 29th and since that day billions of gallons of untreated human waste has flowed into New York Harbor.
A 12-foot storm surge overcame the Newark sewage plant that serves over three million people. It’s the fifth largest sewage treatment facility in the United States. The damage from the surge has resulted in untreated and partially treated human waste flooding into the Harbor close to the Statue of Liberty.
“We’ve never had the facility flood like this,” Mike DeFracisci of the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission told NBC New York. When asked about the time to make repairs, DeFracisci said they would be done “ASAP.”
The untreated sewage is causing more of a stink than just to environmental activists.
The sewage carries bacteria for multiple diseases resulting the fishing, crabbing and shellfishing businesses along the coast to shut down as any animals taken would be unsafe for human consumption.
The Department of Environmental Protection did not state when the ban may be lifted.
The New York City Department of Environmental Protection has told residents to avoid any contact with the water.
