Millions of Gallons of Sewage Barreled Into NYC Waters During Beastly Hot Weekend

During a week of unbearable humidity and consecutive high 90 and triple-digit degree days, many New Yorkers would have already preferred their air-conditioned homes over local beaches. Millions of gallons of untreated sewage that discharged from Manhattan into the Hudson and Harlem Rivers Wednesday made it near certain that no one would take a dip. New York Times reported Friday morning:

"The rivers that run into New York Harbor will be unfit for recreational activities at least through Sunday because of a catastrophic fire that shut down one of the city’s largest sewage treatment plants, the city’s health department said Thursday.

The declaration, rare in scope, was made as millions of gallons of untreated sewage were being discharged from Manhattan into the Hudson and Harlem Rivers.

As New Yorkers reeled from hot weather, the authorities also advised against swimming at four city beaches on Staten Island and in Brooklyn."

News came in today that hundreds of city workers and out-of-state contractors traveling through the night and working in temperatures up to 104 degrees were finally able to end the flow of sewage late Friday night.

Even though they stopped the flow, would you still take a swim?