There is a public health crisis unfolding in Hunt’s Woods, a neighborhood park where kids play and people walk their dogs, and the City is doing nothing to stop it.
Recent testing by the environmental watchdog organization Save the Sound shows sewage contamination flowing into Hunts Woods at levels that should stop us all cold. MVCIP has reported on this before.
Things have only gotten worse.
What the Testing Shows
On April 7, 2026, water testing at a pipe in the park (Outfall 61) found extremely high levels of bacteria linked to human waste.
To put it simply:
- The safe level is about 60
- What was found was 2,755
That’s more than 45 times higher than what’s considered safe.
And this wasn’t after a storm. This was during dry weather—when that pipe shouldn’t be carrying much water at all.
That means this isn’t runoff. It’s sewage getting into the storm system.
Where It’s Coming From
The water was tested right at the pipe where it comes out.
That matters because it means the contamination is coming through the City’s storm sewer system itself—not from somewhere downstream.
In plain terms:
- Something is wrong with the City’s sewer infrastructure
- And it’s sending contaminated water straight into the park
People Are Being Exposed
Hunts Woods is not some remote area. It’s a neighborhood park. Children play there. Dogs run there. For many residents, it’s their backyard.
This highly contaminated water is flowing into the stream with no warning, no closure, and no real acknowledgment whatsoever by the City.
At these levels, exposure is linked to:
- stomach illness
- skin infections
- other health risks
Especially for kids and pets who are more likely to come into direct contact with the water.
And It’s Not the Only Problem
There’s also a broken sewer line in the same park. It runs through the stream and has been found to be damaged and failing.
So, there are multiple sources of sewage contamination affecting the same public space.
What the City Has Done
Instead of fixing the problem, the City has put up signs telling residents to clean up after their dogs.
That’s not just wrong—it’s misdirection. Dog waste does not create this level of contamination. And it does not come out of a storm drainpipe in dry weather.
This is not a resident problem. This is a City infrastructure problem.
This Should Already Be Fixed
Mount Vernon is already subject to oversight, via consent order, by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation for sewer system failures and illicit discharges.
Right now, the City is in violation of that consent order and New York state law, which requires that any sewage in stormwater be identified and eliminated—full stop.
Despite the City’s knowledge—now going back years—that our stormwater system is badly contaminated, remediation has not happened.
The Bottom Line
Sewage is being discharged into a public park.
People and animals are being exposed.
The problem has not been fixed. In fact, the problem has been actively ignored.
Until the problem is appropriately addressed, Hunts Woods is not just a park.
It’s a public health crime scene.