NEW YORK CITY — Flooding and power outages have prompted wastewater-treatment plants to dump untreated sewage into area waterways in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, making them unsafe, according to the Department of Environmental Protection.
Public health officials have advised against "direct contact" with the Hudson River, East River, New York Harbor, Jamaica Bay, and Kill Van Kull, the DEP said.
"Swimming, canoeing, kayaking, windsurfing or any other water activity that would entail possible direct contact with the water should be avoided until further notice," the department said in a press release.
The DEP is monitoring waste treatment plants' function and water quality, and will announce when these waters are "safe for recreational use."