U.S. board cited for another sewage discharge
Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates is reiterating his call on the provincial government to do more in investigating recent discharges into the Niagara River by a public water board in the United States.
Gates’ office sent out a statement after the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s announcement Friday that the Niagara Falls, N.Y., Water Board violated quality standards for an Aug. 15 discharge caused by a sewer overflow.
That discharge came 17 days after a July 29 discharge that turned the water below Niagara Falls black and smelly.
DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos told The Associated Press the Aug. 15 sewage discharge of more than 3.3 million gallons turned the water of the Niagara River “a very murky grey.”
The board said in a statement that the overflow resulted from heavy rain that overwhelmed outdated infrastructure and that it was reported promptly as required under the state’s Sewage Pollution Right to Know Law.
On July 29, a daytime discharge from a different part of the system at the treatment plant caused a black plume to spread around the dock of Maid of the Mist tourist boats, below the falls on the U.S. side of the river. The water discolouration, clearly visible to tourists viewing the falls on a sunny day, drew national and international attention.
The DEC is investigating the July 29 discharge, which the water board blamed on a pump being left on too long while emptying a sedimentation basin at a wastewater treatment plant located upriver from the falls. The basin contained residue from the cleaning of carbon filters at the plant. Discharges flow out of a pipe in the New York riverbank near where the tourist boats dock.
The DEC has ordered the water board to cease discharges from the plant’s sedimentation basin while the agency investigates. Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Thursday that the DEC has told the board to submit a report on the discharge by this Friday.
Gates sent a letter to the province on Aug. 2 asking it to liaise with its American counterparts and see if an investigation on the Canadian side was warranted into the July 29 incident.
Gates liaised with the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change several times before sending another letter last Wednesday, which pressed the minister to act faster on the issue.
“Now the Americans are saying they believe the water quality was violated, but what about our side? There’s no wall or stop sign in between our side and theirs,” said Gates.
“If damage was done to the Niagara River, it affects both communities and I am deeply disturbed that our government has not acted quickly on this issue unlike our counterparts across the river. The Niagara River may have sustained damage and our residents deserve to know what damage was done, if it’s permanent and that it’s never going to happen again.”
In a recent statement to the Niagara Falls Review, a spokesman for the ministry said while the incident took place in the United States, they’re taking it “very seriously,” and have been in regular contact with relevant U.S. officials to stay abreast of any new information.
The Aug. 15 sewage overflow was the second and largest of three to occur from Aug. 4 to Aug. 22, the DEC said. While the overflows are permitted under certain circumstances, the Aug. 15 discharge caused “a substantial visible contrast” in the colour of the river water, Seggos said.
“This is the first shot over the bow with the water board,” he said. “We need to have a bigger discussion because these types of discharges can’t continue like this.”
The DEC’s notice of violation requires the water board to take steps to evaluate its wastewater treatment system and come up with ways to better handle overflow situations. Failure to do so could result in a fine of up to $37,500 per day, per violation.
The board agreed that upgrades are needed. It said it has committed more than $1 million in the past several months to improve treatment facilities and has identified about $6.9 million for 2018 system upgrades as part of ongoing capital improvements that DEC is aware of.