Sewage-plant death plunge

Vat man falls in toxic waste

A worker got sucked to the bottom of a 35-footdeep vat of filth at a wastewater-treatment plant in Brooklyn, and initially survived the horrible ordeal before dying at a hospital, cops said.

Michael Buffamante, 31, who worked for the city contractor Welkin Mechanical, fell into the muck at the Coney Island Wastewater Treatment Plant at around 12:30 p.m., authorities said.

Cops and firefighters desperately searched for the man, who was submerged for eight minutes before he was found by FDNY divers.

“He fell and he went right to the bottom,” said FDNY Deputy Chief John Hodgens, adding, “There was no sign of him on the surface of the water.”

When Buffamante was pulled out of the tank, “Immediately, CPR was started on him to try and get a pulse,” said Hodgens.

Buffamante was rushed to Coney Island Hospital, with paramedics performing CPR the entire way, officials said.

But he died shortly after arrival.

The tank Buffamante fell into is used for the final stage of treatment before the water is piped out to Plumb Beach Channel.

Buffamante, who was wearing protective gear, was making upgrades at the plant, including the installation of dechlorination equipment in the treated water channel at the time, said the Department of Environmental Protection, which manages the facility.

“DEP’s thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and colleagues,” a spokesman for the agency said in a statement.

It was not immediately clear how Buffamante fell into the tank.

“It’s a unknown environment,” said Hodgens of the conditions of the water. “We have zero visibility. They performed a difficult search in order to recover this member. It wasn’t cut and dry by any means.”

Commenting on the toxicity of the water and the conditions rescuers faced, Hodgens said, “Although it is still toxic, it could have been a lot worse.”

A person who answered the phone at Welkin Mechanical said only, “No comment.”