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The Westchester County Department of Health closely monitors and routinely checks public beaches and pools throughout the County through routine water quality testing to help protect public health. However, the Health Department does not regulate the Hudson River.
The Hudson River is a tidal waterway that naturally flushes and replenishes itself. While the Health Department monitors conditions that may affect public health, it issues advisories related to the Hudson River only under extraordinary circumstances, such as the release of screened and partially treated wastewater.
Wastewater that has undergone the full treatment process at a Wastewater Recovery Facility meets stringent treatment standards and is safe to drink upon discharge. Reports of sewage discharges can encompass a range of circumstances, and there is never a situation where unscreened, untreated sewage is present in the River.
The Westchester County Health Department encourages residents to follow any public health advisories that may be issued. However, thanks to the Clean Water Act and ongoing environmental cleanup efforts, the Hudson River and its surrounding harbor estuary are considered the cleanest they have been in a century.
