Mount Vernon officials address concerns about possible sewage contamination at Hunts Woods Park
Officials say waste has not leaked into the woods.
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Mount Vernon officials are speaking out as concerns about possible sewage contamination at Hunts Woods Park continue to grow.
Hunts Woods Park has become a hot topic for residents in Mount Vernon, like Gabriel Thompson.
"I can smell sewage in the woods everywhere," Thompson says.
Residents believe the waste at the park, which borders Bronxville, is coming from an opening known as Outfall 61.
John Nuculovic, Mount Vernon's chief of infrastructure, addressed the claims and concerns at an event at City Hall on Monday.
"To be clear, no leaks, no structural failures have been identified with the sanitary sewer in this area of the city...Nor did any waste leak into the woods or brook," Nuculovic says.
Residents say they've seen what they believe to be sewage with their own eyes.
Meanwhile, officials with environmental group Save the Sound say they've collected water samples from the woods.
"Yeah, the fecal-indicator bacteria sample that we've been collecting from Outfall 61 have shown slightly elevated levels," says Save the Sound representative Peter Linderoth.
Mount Vernon officials say they will still evaluate the stormwater system that discharges into Hunts Woods Park through Outfall 61.
"While recent sampling results were generated independently, we still treat this as seriously," Nuculovic says.
Officials say sampling locations have already been selected.
While they stress drinking water hasn't been impacted, the city is discouraging residents and their pets from drinking from natural water sources as a general rule.
In the meantime, Thompson says he just wants to protect his park.
"This is valuable because there are very little places to have and experience nature," Thompson says.
Bronxville officials say they have also offered to help find ways to fund the park's preservation efforts.
