Tens of thousands of gallons of nasty, only partially treated sewage was accidentally unloaded into a Long Island bay for roughly 15 straight minutes on Sunday, state officials confirmed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nearly 30,000 gallons of sewage water that had not been disinfected was dumped into Reynold\u2019s Channel in Long Beach \u2014 forming a nasty-looking, dark-colored sludge \u2014 after a plant operator failed to close a valve, according to Long Beach officials.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That failure, according to state and local officials, caused an overflow into the facility\u2019s stormwater system that sent the waste pouring into the waterway near the city\u2019s fishing pier.<\/p>\n
Roughly 30,000 gallons of sewage water that had not been disinfected were dumped into Reynold\u2019s Channel in Long Beach. Jack Hillman<\/p>\n
The waste formed a nasty-looking, dark-colored sludge. Jack Hillman<\/p>\n
For 15 straight minutes before anybody noticed, that sludge overflowed from the plant\u2019s primary digester tank and spread onto surrounding surfaces before finally reaching the stormwater system that drains directly into Reynolds Channel, officials said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A multi-day clean-up was undertaken by Long Beach city officials, which is now complete in the waterway as they work to clean up the storm drain system, according to state officials.<\/p>\n
The State Department of Environmental Conservation is now investigating the incident. Getty Images<\/p>\n
The State Department of Environmental Conservation is now investigating the incident and monitoring the conditions for public health safety, an agency spokesperson told The Post.\u00a0<\/p>\n
There are no known, immediate impacts to any wildlife or marine life, state officials said, although it is unclear if the waterway is safe to return for fishing or swimming activities.\u00a0<\/p>\n