Party boat accidentally spews raw sewage into waters off Red Hook

July 23, 2018 By Raanan Geberer Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Atlantic Basin in Red Hook. Eagle file photo by Lore Croghan

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Residents of Red Hook and nearby areas were horrified after learning that workers servicing the “party yacht” Avalon accidentally spilled about 500 gallons of raw sewage into the Atlantic Basin on Sunday. The mishap disgorged an amount of human waste equal to more than 300 flushes of a toilet, according to the New York Post.

Red Hook resident Kathleen Murphy told the Post that “Red Hook is big on fish, and what do you think the fish will do if they see waste in the area? Attempt to eat it. Then we get sick from the poisoned fish.”

The BoatUS Foundation says it’s illegal to discharge untreated sewage on inland waters or within 3 miles from shore. Both the Coast Guard and the state Department of Environmental Conservation responded to the accident. The 80-foot boat is featured on the Prestige Yacht Charters web site, but company president David Hackert told the Post that his firm “does not own or operate the boat” and “had nothing to do with the incident.”