Reclaiming our Rivers |
This summer brought news of a harmful algal bloom (HAB) that closed access to our village kayak launch in Horan’s Landing. The release of raw sewage from the Westchester County Wastewater Treatment Plant in Yonkers that closed our entire waterfront. In addition, the Yonkers plant continues permitted sewage overflows into the Hudson along our village shoreline.So for much of the summer, we could not fully and safely access the rivers flowing through and around our village. We didn’t know if the water was safe or not. That left a lot of us out of sorts. Sleepy Hollow defines itself as a Hudson river town (we’d like to say the Hudson river town). We were suddenly cut off from the Hudson and Pocantico Rivers, which shaped our history and very identity. But there is also good news. That will change. Thanks to funding secured by Riverkeeper, the Hudson Valley Stream Conservancy started water quality testing along the Hudson and Pocantico Rivers – an important first step to identifying and eliminating ongoing sources of sewage and contamination flowing into our rivers. The third annual Sleepy Hollow Mermaid Festival, lovingly produced by a team of dedicated village residents, raised awareness for river stewardship and Riverkeeper’s work to return to a swimmable Sleepy Hollow shoreline. To find out more about what we need to do to return to our past use of our village’s waterfront for swimming and water-enabled recreation, watch this presentation by President and Hudson Riverkeeper Tracy Brown – “Can I Swim in the Hudson?” And follow our SSH newsletter for ongoing updates. |
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