The Westchester County Department of Health said Sunday, July 19, that it does not regulate the Hudson River, issuing a public statement that clarified its limited monitoring role roughly two weeks after a Yonkers wastewater failure prompted a no-contact advisory for communities along the waterway.

The statement did not say whether that July 3 advisory remains in effect.

Background: the Yonkers failure and local beach closures

On Tuesday, June 23, the health department preemptively closed beaches in Mamaroneck, Rye and New Rochelle after 1.08 inches of rainfall in 24 hours raised concerns about bacteria levels in bathing water.

Then on Thursday, July 3, a power failure at the Yonkers Sewage Treatment System triggered a broader advisory urging residents to avoid all recreational contact with the Hudson. That warning covered communities from New York City north through Sleepy Hollow and closed Philipse Manor Beach Club until further notice.

As of Monday, July 7, the county was still maintaining the advisory, citing residual effects from the Yonkers facility failure and recent heavy rain, according to the official Westchester County Government account on X.

What the July 19 statement said

The health department said it monitors conditions that may affect public health but issues Hudson River advisories only under extraordinary circumstances, such as a release of screened and partially treated wastewater.

The department stated that fully treated wastewater discharged from a Wastewater Recovery Facility meets stringent standards and is safe upon release. It also stated that unscreened, untreated sewage is never present in the river.

The department described the Hudson as the cleanest it has been in a century, citing the federal Clean Water Act and ongoing environmental cleanup efforts.

What Rye-area residents should know

While the July 3 advisory applied to communities south of Rye, the county's beach monitoring program covers local shores directly. The department said it routinely tests water quality at public beaches and pools countywide.

The July 19 statement did not announce a timeline for any future advisory updates. Residents can check current beach closure status through the Westchester County Health Department's beach monitoring page.