Port Chester Settles Sewage System Suit With Save The Sound

MAMARONECK, NY— Save the Sound, Soundkeeper, Inc., and Atlantic Clam Farms have reached a settlement with Village of Port Chester regarding a federal case brought by the groups against Westchester County and 11 municipalities. The three organizations and the Village have agreed to final terms and will present the Consent Order to a federal judge for approval.

The agreement requires the Village of Port Chester to make repairs to its sewage system to fully comply with the limits of the Westchester County Environmental Facilities Sewer Act no later than the end of 2019. This agreement only settles the matter with respect to the Village of Port Chester, the lawsuit remains in effect and active against the County of Westchester and 10 other Long Island Sound watershed municipalities. The other municipalities have agreed to stipulated orders requiring a study of their systems within a certain time frame, but none have agreed, like Port Chester, to finally repair their systems by a date certain.

Roger Reynolds, Legal Director of Save the Sound, said, “We applaud Port Chester for leading in this matter and agreeing to an enforceable court order to repair their lines and stop sewage leaks in a timely manner by the end of 2019. This is precisely what we have been seeking from the County and all of the towns by bringing this litigation. We hope the County and the rest of the towns will follow their example and finally end these sewage spills that have been polluting Long Island Sound and creating public health hazards for decades.”

For decades the sewer lines that run under our streets and lawns have been leaking raw sewage into our waterways, causing low oxygen, high bacteria levels, and long-term harm to the Sound, according to a spokesperson. Many residents of Westchester County don’t realize that poorly maintained sewer pipes are the main reason that beaches are closed after rain, and why harvesting clams or oysters in local bays and harbors is prohibited.

However, the County and municipalities are aware of this ongoing pollution and have known since at least 2003 that actions taken to date have been woefully inadequate to solve the problem.

The 2015 complaint alleged that the County and the 11 municipalities illegally discharged raw sewage into rivers and Long Island Sound through Sanitary Sewer Overflows due to poorly maintained sewage collection systems.

Save the Sound is seeking a comprehensive long-term fix that will:

1. Fix leaking town and county pipes;
2. Fix leaking pipes that run from private homes and businesses into the public sewer system;
3. Establish enforceable timelines for repairs;
4. Create a plan for the long term maintenance and operation of the sewage collection system that will allow us to avoid future pollution and costly repairs; and
5. Establish sufficient funding source to complete the necessary work to eliminate overflows and to pay for the future ongoing maintenance of the pipes.

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