The Office of Staten Island Borough President
10/15/2026 | Press release | Archived content
'Clove Lakes Is A Jewel': A Call For City, State To Replace Plumbing After Raw Sewage Leakage Found In Waterways
Borough President Vito Fossella, State Sen. Andrew Lanza, and State Assemblyman Sam Pirozzolo called on the city and the state to undertake a full plumbing overhaul to remedy the flow of raw sewage that has been leaking into the waterways of Clove Lakes Park, possibly for decades.
At a summit held at Borough Hall, city officials informed Borough President Fossella, Sen. Lanza, and Assemblyman Pirozzolo that raw sewage from a city-owned maintenance facility on Slosson Avenue, as well as from the Stone House Restaurant, was contaminating Clove Lake, Martling Pond, and Brooks Lake, the park's three interconnected waterways, which have been closed to fishermen and boaters since the leakage was detected.
A series of dye tests conducted last month confirmed their findings.
"Clove Lakes is a jewel," said Borough President Fossella at a press conference outside of the Stone House Restaurant. "Thousands of people use it on a regular basis and they have every right to appreciate a healthy, safe environment. Unfortunately, that is not the case."
At least two bathrooms on the grounds of Clove Lakes Park have also been leaking raw sewage into the waterways.
"We just have to at least assume that all of the facilities have far outlived their usefulness and the city needs to get into the process of replacing the piping," said Borough President Fossella. "We don't know what it is doing to the lake itself and to the life beneath the water."
Borough President Fossella implored city and state agencies to formalize short-term and long-term solutions.
"I think the people of Staten Island need to know that these pipes are going to be replaced so the next several generations can enjoy them as we had the opportunity to enjoy them," he said. "This should be the jewel that the people of Staten Island deserve, and now, it's gone."
At a summit held at Borough Hall, city officials informed Borough President Fossella, Sen. Lanza, and Assemblyman Pirozzolo that raw sewage from a city-owned maintenance facility on Slosson Avenue, as well as from the Stone House Restaurant, was contaminating Clove Lake, Martling Pond, and Brooks Lake, the park's three interconnected waterways, which have been closed to fishermen and boaters since the leakage was detected.
A series of dye tests conducted last month confirmed their findings.
"Clove Lakes is a jewel," said Borough President Fossella at a press conference outside of the Stone House Restaurant. "Thousands of people use it on a regular basis and they have every right to appreciate a healthy, safe environment. Unfortunately, that is not the case."
At least two bathrooms on the grounds of Clove Lakes Park have also been leaking raw sewage into the waterways.
"We just have to at least assume that all of the facilities have far outlived their usefulness and the city needs to get into the process of replacing the piping," said Borough President Fossella. "We don't know what it is doing to the lake itself and to the life beneath the water."
Borough President Fossella implored city and state agencies to formalize short-term and long-term solutions.
"I think the people of Staten Island need to know that these pipes are going to be replaced so the next several generations can enjoy them as we had the opportunity to enjoy them," he said. "This should be the jewel that the people of Staten Island deserve, and now, it's gone."
The Office of Staten Island Borough President published this content on October 15, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on October 23, 2026 at 17:36 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]