Beaches closed in several shoreline towns after sewage pipe leak

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    NEW HAVEN, CT (WFSB) — New Haven has told people to stay out of the water after leaders learned more than 2 million gallons of raw sewage leaked into a river that empties into Long Island Sound.

A pipe in Hamden collapsed early Monday morning and sent sewage into the Mill River.

Downstream, the city of New Haven said it wasn’t notified until the next day.

Mayor Justin Elicker said he didn’t learn about the extent of the problem and just how big it was until Tuesday night.

“I was walking my dog yesterday at 7 p.m. and a car stopped on the road with a canoe on top of it. Some kids came out and said, ‘hey, there’s a bunch of dead fish in the water, there’s a sheen in the water and it goes a mile up the river,’” Elicker said.

It was a sewer line that was already scheduled to be replaced the next day, but instead collapsed. It spilled 2.1 million gallons of raw sewage into the nearby Mill River.

“This is a major line, 30-inch, good size line. Probably carries about 3 million gallons on an average day, so this was a large event,” said Gary Zrelak, Greater New Haven Water Pollution Control Authority.

While Hamden, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, and others were given a heads up, New Haven said the Greater New Haven Water Pollution Control Authority initially didn’t tell them just how bad it was.

“My sense is the WPCA did what they’re legally required to do, but at the same time, we just need to make sure we have a very robust communication so that they city can help get out the word to our residents,” Elicker said.

Something the WPCA said it will address going forward.

“We’re going over our notification skills and protocol so that we make sure we get everyone to know about it and make sure they know the impact this can potentially have,” Zrelak said.

Crews stopped the leak and the pipe will soon be replaced, but since 2 million gallons of sewage got into the river which empties into New Haven Harbor and Long Island Sound, the beach at Lighthouse Point Park is off limits.

It’s not just in New Haven. Neighboring East Haven and West Haven closed their beaches as well while everyone tests the polluted water as it moves out to sea.

“We will also add another testing site at the Mill River to ensure the water and the sewage is really flowing through and so we can inform the public as we get results,” said Martiza Bond, New Haven health director.

Bond said they continue to test the water twice a week, but they are continuing to ask residents to keep from fishing, boating, or swimming for the next several days.

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