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The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation issued an alert at approximately noon on Tuesday afternoon, warning that an estimated 1,000 gallons of sewage spilled into the lake near the east end of the Convent Road bridge.
According to officials, the discharge was due to the failure of a mechanical fitting at the joint. Lake Tappan and the SUEZ Reservoir were affected by the spillage. The discharge lasted an estimated hour.
Officials said that in response to the discharge, a DEC supervisor held the flow of the Convent Road pump station while contractors fixed the fitting.
"Orangetown retained a contractor to re-connect a temporary by-pass line to an existing force main at Convent Road,” a DEC spokesperson stated. “During the course of this work, the force main needed to be disconnected. Service was reinstated at the end of the day. Early this morning, the surrounding soil failed resulting in a joint opening on the reinstated force main causing a spill."
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