Sewer System Failure - Queens County

On April 5, ECOs Colton Garrand and Darren Milliron were on patrol and observed flooding at an exit ramp on the Grand Central Parkway in Queens County. New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) inspectors informed the ECOs that a sewage line had broken and that waste was pouring onto the roadway, causing hazardous conditions as contaminants entered a nearby drain. ECOs Garrand and Milliron used dye tablets to trace the path of the untreated wastewater after it entered the sewage drain. The ECOs determined the wastewater was running directly into Flushing Meadows Park and emptying into Willow Lake, a freshwater pond. ECO Brent McCarthy arrived on scene to assist with traffic control until the sewage line waste was diverted off the highway. DEC's Division of Water was notified and will be following up with the city for cleanup. NYCDEP hired a contractor and the leak has been fixed.


Waste from a broken sewer line in Queens was dyed as part of DEC's investigation