Hudson River Sewage Spill Could Impact Ironman Triathlon (Updated)

Due to a break in the Tarrytown, New York sewer line, Westchester County Executive Robert Astorino has issued a warning advising people who use the Hudson River waters for recreational purposes such as swimming, boating, kayaking and windsurfing to avoid direct contact with the water from Croton Point Park and points south until further notice. 

Officials have not yet determined if this will affect the swimming portion of Saturday's  that will take place in Fort Lee. The competition includes a 2.4 mile swim in the Hudson River. 

According to Westchester County officials, the break has caused the "controlled release of several milliion gallons of chlorinated raw sewage" into the Hudson River at Sleepy Hollow Wednesday night. Officials said that diverting the treated sewage is necessary in order to make repairs to the sewer line. It is also expected that the sewer line break will result in the discharge of chlorinated raw sewage into the Hudson River at Yonkers.

The Rockland County Department of Health also issued a warning to people who use the Hudson River for recreational purposes to avoid direct contact with the water from Rockland Lake State Park and points south until further notice.

Updated 8/9/2012 12:05: According to Bloomberg News organizers for the 140.6-mile triathlon. Organizers are monitoring the water quality and direction of the current in the river. A decision on whether the race is shortened to the bike and run portions would be made by tomorrow at the latest, race organizer John Korff said.

In a telephone interview with Bloomberg News, Korff said, “We’re not messing with water quality. It is what it is -- it’s either yes or no. It depends which way the water is flowing. Athletes will know at least the day before.”

Patch will continue to provide updates on this story.