BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB)- The black substance that tainted the Niagara River over the weekend has cleared up but the headache is far from over.
The DEC told News 4 the Niagara Falls Water Board violated water quality standards, which prohibit any discharge that changes the color of a waterway or causes a bad smell.
Contaminant billowed into the river near the Maid of the Mist Saturday, causing a foul odor tourists described as “overwhelming”.
According to the DEC, the NFWB was doing maintenance on its waste water plant. Water is normally filtered through a sedimentation basin and comes out clean on the other side but for the maintenance, the basin was emptied by running water backwards through it.
The DEC told News 4 something went wrong and it flowed into the river.
The state agency said this plant does not treat raw sewage and it’s unlikely the discharge poses any long-term impacts on health or the environment.
The black plume was a mix of contaminants from the basin, other solids, and carbon fine particles, according to the DEC.
The NFWB released a statement late Wednesday, after rejecting multiple requests for an on-camera interview.
In the statement, the board apologized to “anyone inconvenienced by the discharge, including tourists, businesses and residents.”
It went on to say the NFWB will work with the DEC to “address any technical or operational issues uncovered” to “prevent re-occurrence.”
Read the full statement here.
“It was not a lingering problem for several days, thank goodness,” said John Percy, the president of Destination Niagara USA.
The group does marketing for Niagara County and the Falls.
Percy said this happened at the worst time.
“They’ve had specified times in the past, I don’t know why on one of our busiest Saturdays, in the peak season, that this would be released,” he said. “Maybe there are other ways to dispense of this sewage, other than in the Niagara River.”
Percy said the NFWB needs to make adjustments so this never happens again. He told News 4 they got calls from tourists asking if the water was okay.
“It’s a very unfortunate situation and an inexcusable situation,” said Percy.
Niagara Falls Mayor Paul Dyster also said he was disappointed in the NFWB in a statement released Wednesday.
He said, “Niagara Falls Police in partnership with the New York State Department of Conservation are actively investigating the matter.
Dyster’s statement went on to say, ”While it is important to note that we regularly partner on items of importance to residents, the Niagara Falls Water Board operates independently of city government. I am disappointed in the unfortunate lapse in communication regarding Saturday’s incident and look forward to the Board’s full cooperation in their efforts to rectify the situation.”
State Senator Robert Ortt also released a scathing statement on Wednesday, which said, “This is an embarrassment for the Niagara Falls Water Board and they owe the public a swift and full explanation. We need to know what happened, who’s responsible, and what will be done to fix it. The people of Niagara Falls deserve much better than this. I look forward to seeing the result of the investigation.”
The DEC said it continues to investigate what caused the discharge and where this has happened before at this waste water plant.
