Suffolk Issues Health Advisory For Patchogue Bay And River

PATCHOGUE, NY — A recreational health advisory has been issued by the Suffolk County Department of Health Services for the Patchogue River and Patchogue Bay.

The county is advising fishermen and boaters to avoid going out on the water following a recent state Department of Environmental Conservation report of a raw sewage discharge from a manhole within the conveyance network, officials said.

Residents are being advised to avoid contact with waters from the area of the Patchogue River and Patchogue Bay until 3 p.m. on Thursday. It is also advised to keep children and pets away from the water as well. The DEC already prohibits the harvest of shellfish from the area at all times. If exposure does occur, residents are being advised to rinse off with clean water immediately.

Anyone who does have contact with the water is advised to seek medical attention if they experience nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea, as well as skin, eye, or throat irritation, allergic reactions, or breathing difficulties.

The sewage discharge potentially reached surface waters through a nearby storm drain and there is now “the potential for elevated levels of pathogenic organisms to be present in this area,” so corrective actions have been put in place to “mitigate the discharge have been initiated,” according to officials.

Suffolk is working closely with the DEC, which has jurisdiction over the permitting, enforcement, and management of the Patchogue sewage treatment plant.

More information is forthcoming as health officials learn more about the situation.

For more information, go to suffolkcountyny.gov, Facebook.com/SuffolkCountyHealth, or Twitter.com/SuffolkCoHealth.