OLEAN, N.Y. — Since being built in the early 1970s, the wastewater treatment plant in Olean, N.Y. has had a number of difficulties, according to The Buffalo News.
The city frequently receives notifications from the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
Untreated wastewater is sent directly into a local river whenever heavy rain falls, completely bypassing the entire treatment system.
As early as 2000 the city public works department has been looking to find a way to prevent this from happening and to be able to treat the water before it flows into the Allegheny River, stated the article.
“We in the Public Works Department developed a comprehensive plan as to how to fix the problems with the plant in 2006,” said Tom Windus, city public works director.
Windus said that plan has finally come to fruition with a new plan to bring the plant into compliance with state and federal regulation, which will cost the city around $20 million.
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