TOWN OF BETHEL, NY — A report is being investigated of a potential sewage leak affecting the Mongaup River.

Shannon Schultz lives on Creamery Road, near the Sullivan County International Airport. In late November, Schultz and her family began to notice a slight toxic smell concentrated around a stream that feeds into the Mongaup River.

“[On Monday, December 5,] I was walking, and the smell was gagging, it was so strong,” Schultz says. The stream had yellowish sediment in it, and she reached out to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) for help.

Members of the DEC and the state department of health have both investigated the source of the smell, and DEC personnel have indicated that it was sewage. Most recently, DEC representatives discovered leakage in a pond on the perimeter of the airport; the pond sits on land belonging to the Hudson Valley Foie Gras (HVFG) farm, and runs off into sewer pipes under the airport’s runway, according to Schultz.

According to the DEC, the department is investigating multiple facilities as potential sources of an unpermitted wastewater discharge, and will take any actions necessary to ensure public health and the environment are protected.

Marcus Henley, HVFG vice president, told the River Reporter that the DEC examined the pond during an initial visit, and did not find a concern. Another visit on January 20 gave Henley the opposite impression; “[The DEC] mentioned yesterday [January 20] an accumulation of dust under the exhaust fans that may have contaminated runoff.” HVFG is trying to figure it out, Henley said.   

“The continued spill will only lead to its affecting our home and other homes in the area,” said Schultz, who hopes that the contamination will be resolved expediently.