The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation says it is investigating another potential discharge from the Niagara Falls Wastewater Treatment Plant. DEC Environmental Conservation officers and technical staff responded to a call Tuesday at 3:40 p.m. regarding the presence of discolored water from the main outfall near the Maid of the Mist dock. The DEC says a high-intensity storm was reported in the area that may have contributed to the potential discharge.
At Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s direction, the DEC is continuing to investigate the causes and extent of the July 29 discharge of wastewater into the Niagara River and will determine if Tuesday’s report is valid or linked to the original discharge last month.
Just last week, the Niagara County Legislature raised the stakes on the original dumping into the river by seeking criminal investigations on local, state and federal levels. The Niagara Falls Water Board apologized for the dumping, but said it was "human error" during a "routine procedure" that caused more waste water than expected to be released into the river, creating the "dark water."
