Monday, June 17, 2019
Sewage problem resolved at sleep-away camp in Kerhonkson, health official says
When Camp Rav Tov opens for the summer, neighbors are likely to be pleasantly surprised by what isn't in the air.
Ulster County Health Commissioner Dr. Carol Smith says a new septic system installed at the Cherrytown Road sleep-away camp has been approved by the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
"It looks like the issue that had been ongoing with the failure of their [septic] system has been resolved," Smith said.
Last summer, the county Department of Health ordered the camp, which is attended by Hasidic Jewish girls, to close by Aug. 13 because raw sewage was seeping out of the ground from the failing septic system. The untreated raw sewage not only surfaced onto the camp property but ran down into the road. Smith said the raw sewage posed a health threat to both campers and the community.
Smith said the county contacted the Brooklyn-based owners of the camp several times before deciding to order the facility closed. She said the camp had taken some steps to mitigate the problems but that the efforts weren’t enough to remove the threat posed by the flow of raw sewage.
On the eve of the camp's ordered closure, a Kings County judge issued a temporary restraining order that blocked Ulster County closure order and allowed the camp to operate through the end of its season on Aug. 22.
Following that injunction, Ulster County and the camp negotiated a settlement that required the camp to pump and haul all sewage from the camp on a daily basis and to install a new septic system before seeking operating permits for 2019.
Smith said that with the installation of the new septic system, the Department of Health can move on the camp's application for a permit to operate for the 2019 season.
"The major capital improvement they needed to make because of the failure that was the issue last season seems to have been remedied," she said."We will proceed with the regular protocol of pre-camp inspection that is routine for every camp that gets a permit through us."
The owners of the Cherrytown Road Camp also operate three other sleep-away camps in Ulster County.
https://www.dailyfreeman.com/news/local-news/sewage-problem-resolved-at-sleep-away-camp-in-kerhonkson-health/article_9ec2f760-9115-11e9-97bf-4734701fa179.html
Ulster County Health Commissioner Dr. Carol Smith says a new septic system installed at the Cherrytown Road sleep-away camp has been approved by the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
"It looks like the issue that had been ongoing with the failure of their [septic] system has been resolved," Smith said.
Last summer, the county Department of Health ordered the camp, which is attended by Hasidic Jewish girls, to close by Aug. 13 because raw sewage was seeping out of the ground from the failing septic system. The untreated raw sewage not only surfaced onto the camp property but ran down into the road. Smith said the raw sewage posed a health threat to both campers and the community.
Smith said the county contacted the Brooklyn-based owners of the camp several times before deciding to order the facility closed. She said the camp had taken some steps to mitigate the problems but that the efforts weren’t enough to remove the threat posed by the flow of raw sewage.
On the eve of the camp's ordered closure, a Kings County judge issued a temporary restraining order that blocked Ulster County closure order and allowed the camp to operate through the end of its season on Aug. 22.
Following that injunction, Ulster County and the camp negotiated a settlement that required the camp to pump and haul all sewage from the camp on a daily basis and to install a new septic system before seeking operating permits for 2019.
Smith said that with the installation of the new septic system, the Department of Health can move on the camp's application for a permit to operate for the 2019 season.
"The major capital improvement they needed to make because of the failure that was the issue last season seems to have been remedied," she said."We will proceed with the regular protocol of pre-camp inspection that is routine for every camp that gets a permit through us."
The owners of the Cherrytown Road Camp also operate three other sleep-away camps in Ulster County.
https://www.dailyfreeman.com/news/local-news/sewage-problem-resolved-at-sleep-away-camp-in-kerhonkson-health/article_9ec2f760-9115-11e9-97bf-4734701fa179.html
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