BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced that it reached an agreement with New York State Attorney General Letitia James and the Buffalo Sewer Authority (BSA) to “significantly improve water quality along the Niagara River and its tributaries.”
The announcement comes after the DEC filed a lawsuit against the Buffalo Sewer Authority, accusing the authority of water quality violations, permit violations and failing to meet project deadlines. You can watch our previous report on the lawsuit below.
According to the DEC, BSA owns and operates wastewater treatment facilities that include the Bird Island Wastewater Treatment plant and an extensive combined sewer collection system. The system has stringent DEC permits that allow the discharge of treated sanitary wastewater and stormwater from an outfall at Bird Island. During periods of heavy rain or snowmelt, the volume of wastewater can exceed capacity, and two additional outfalls are used to discharge partially treated combined sewage at Bird Island, and 52 permitted combined sewer overflows (CSOs) discharge excess wastewater containing untreated sewage directly into nearby water bodies…