Never pristine but usually clear, the small Sheldrake River turned an alarming shade of gray Friday morning looking more like a sewage ditch than a natural stream. The pollution was especially evident at the west of Columbus Park in Mamaroneck where the Sheldrake joins the Mamaroneck River before its final run to the harbor and Long Island Sound.
Photos of the spot where the two rivers meet underlines the problem. The Mamaroneck River has been running high and clear after recent rains but the water from the Sheldrake can be seen mixing with it and fouling the entire flow before it hits the harbor.
The is the second pollution incident in local rivers in less than a month. On October 16th the NY Department of Environmental Conservation hired a contractor to clean up a grease spill in the Mamaroneck River and harbor following a tanker truck accident and spill on I-95. Some of the equipment used in that operation is still sitting in Columbus Park under tarps.
The Loop has notified the Town of Mamaroneck Conservation Department of the latest apparent spill in the Sheldrake. Anyone with information should contact Environmental Planner Elizabeth Paul at 914-381-7845 or e-mail her through the Town of Mamaroneck website.
