FILE - In this July 29, 2017 file photo provided by Rainbow Air INC., black-colored wastewater treatment discharge is released into water below Niagara Falls, in Niagara Falls, N.Y. Local lawmakers are asking for a criminal investigation into the discharge of wastewater that turned the water below Niagara Falls black. The Niagara County Legislature passed resolutions Thursday, Aug. 10, 2017 that request investigations by the New York state attorney general, the Niagara County district attorney and the federal Environmental Protection Agency. (Patrick J. Proctor/Rainbow Air INC. via AP)
The Associated Press
NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (AP) - Local lawmakers are asking for a criminal investigation into the discharge of wastewater that turned the water below Niagara Falls black.
The Niagara County Legislature passed resolutions Thursday night that request investigations by the New York state attorney general, the Niagara County district attorney and the federal Environmental Protection Agency.
The legislators want the agencies to probe the July 29 discharge that turned the water near the base of the falls black on a sunny day when the area was crowded with tourists.
The Niagara Falls Water Board says workers at the local wastewater treatment plant let a pump run for too long while emptying a sedimentation basin. The basin contained residue from the cleaning of carbon filters at the plant.
FILE - In this June 11, 2010 file photo, tourists ride the Maid of the Mist tour boat at the base of the American Falls in Niagara Falls, N.Y. Local lawmakers are asking for a criminal investigation into the discharge of wastewater that turned the water below Niagara Falls black. The Niagara County Legislature passed resolutions Thursday, Aug. 10, 2017 that request investigations by the New York state attorney general, the Niagara County district attorney and the federal Environmental Protection Agency. (AP Photo/David Duprey, File)
The Associated Press