Due to an apparent sewage leak in the Saugatuck River, the Westport Health Department advises against swimming in the river and Westport coastal waters.
They’ll let us know when the leak has stopped, and it’s safe to go back in.
Until the leak is fixed, this is the best way to enjoy Compo Beach. (Photo/Amy Schneider)
any details? is the leak coming from the sewage plant directly? if not, where is the leak?
That’s all I got.
Based on what we saw, it looked like it could have been near the pump station by the Black Duck. That’s where all the official vehicles were.
when did this happen, when all clear?
Fun fact: until, I think, 1961, the Saugatuck river was where the town’s sewer main terminated. Good times.
Even more fun: Until Parker Harding Plaza was built in the 1950s, sewer pipes from the stores on the west side of Main Street emptied directly into the river.
Even MORE fun, when Parker Harding Plaza was built (with no permit) many of the building owners on Main Street moved their oil tanks under the new parking lot before it was paved.
Not too many years ago it was discovered that a certain law firm located in a certain Queen Anne style residence on Imperial Ave. still had a direct discharge sewer line running to the Saugatuck.
wow. how was it discovered? were checks done after to make sure no others were discharging directly into the river?
I don’t recall exactly how the rogue sewer line to the Saugatuck was detected but I think it was by accident. The interesting thing was that, as I remember it, the property owner had been paying sewer fees to the town for years.
Here’s the back story: https://06880danwoog.com/2019/08/03/sewage-leak-what-happened-what-happens-next/
I’m with Morley here. As a kid, before Parker-Harding, I used to WATCH the sewage pouring out of pipes from Main Street stores. I have photos that probably show it. Later on I could SMELL the sewage in the Saugatuck River from a boat. Did we worry about this? Not a lot. Obviously it’s good to clean it all up but you’d be surprised at how much bad stuff we actually consume.
There has been a steady stream of septic pumping trucks in and out of our sewage treatment plant all afternoon.
And speaking of fun, a friend swam at Compo this afternoon and was not told about the closure by the lifeguards who were there. I forwarded this column and it reached him after the fact. Hmm.
I was at Compo and took a couple of short swims between 1:30 and 2:30. A little while later we saw a tampon floating around. Before leaving at 3ish, I went to take one last dip and in ankle high, deciphering if it was just some seaweed and/or the receding tide and/or just too many people in the water that made me feel a little grossed out. I just didn’t feel the water was as beautiful as it’s been and didn’t/couldn’t go in.
For some reason I showered immediately when I got home. I never do that. Shortly after that my friend who I left at the beach sent me a text saying that the beaches were closed. Wow. Absolutely grossed out, I then went back to wash my hair!!
I am so sad because the water has been so stellar and so clean. It has been a joy that I have looked forward to this season. I was even planning on doing some shell fishing which I would never consider in the past. Definitely won’t be doing that now.
Margo they did announce the closure at 4pm at Compo. If the leak happened at 1:30 PM it would not have reached compo at exactly that time. I’m not sure how long it would take to actually get over there but from what I saw it looked like it reached there before 4 PM.
Those are some interesting and disgusting facts above.
I really hope we can keep the sound in the awesome direction it has been going.
I just wonder how this actually gets ‘cleaned’ and does stuff just settle to the bottom? and what about toxic and pharmaceutical waste. Where exactly does that go? Awful.