Westport Beaches Reopened Following 2nd Sewage Spill: Update

WESTPORT, CT — Westport's beaches were reopened to swimming on Thursday, following Wednesday's sewage leak, the second sewage spill in Westport this month.

Original story: The Westport Fire Department was notified about the spill - which was coming from a manhole in front of Saugatuck Elementary School on Riverside Avenue - at about 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday.

Members of the town's Sewer Department are working to mitigate the sewage leak, which officials said "is separate from, and the resulting discharge is significantly smaller than, last week’s sewer leakage event."

That spill, in which elevated levels of bacteria were found in the waters off the Westport shore, dumped an unknown amount of sewage into the Saugatuck River for several hours on Aug. 3, and resulted in the beaches being closed for more than two days.

"The Public Works Department was immediately notified and a representative responded," officials wrote in a statement about Wednesday's spill. "As is standard practice, the CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) was notified. All relevant parties, including the Parks & Recreation Department, Conservation Department, Marine Police and businesses abutting the Saugatuck River, were notified."

As a result of Wednesday's spill, and "in an abundance of caution and to protect public health and safety," the Westport-Weston Health District closed the beaches for swimming until further testing can be done.

"For public safety, it is advisable to suspend river activities as well."