By RICK MILLER
Olean Star
FRANKLINVILLE — The state Department of Environmental Conservation on Friday identified the Great Lakes Cheese facility north of Franklinville as the source of an organic discharge blamed in the deaths of tens of thousands of fish and aquatic animals in Ischua Creek.
The DEC was notified of the significant fish kill on Ischua Creek on Tuesday and field teams were dispatched to investigate.
DEC directed Great Lakes Cheese to take immediate action to address the ongoing impact of discharging organic waste into the creek. The cheese making facility has a DEC discharge permit for up to 900,000 gallons of treated water a day into the creek.
“The facility today advised DEC it is pausing the operations of its discharge outfall to Ischua Creek,” DEC said in a press release issued Friday night. “The actions follow reports earlier this week involving visible effluent discharge and odors from the facility’s outfall to the creek and a significant die-off under ongoing DEC investigation that is affecting tens of thousands of fish and many aquatic species.”
DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton said, “Ischua Creek is a vibrant, healthy ecosystem and the environmental damage witnessed this week is significant. As DEC’s investigation continues, we’ve directed Great Lakes Cheese to prevent ongoing impacts to the creek to help protect water quality and creek habitat. DEC and our partners at the Department of Health will continue to coordinate assessing any potential public health impacts and encourage the community to follow the recreational use advisory that remains in place at this time.”
State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said, “The New York State Department of Health is working closely with the Department of Environmental Conservation and our local health officials to assess any potential health risk to drinking water in the area around Great Lakes Cheese,” “We will continue to review environmental and water quality data. At this time there is no indication of impacts to drinking water systems.”
City of Olean Water Department Director Brad Camp said Friday that the water treatment plant on Olean Creek was advised to be on the lookout for any abnormal readings at the water intake.
Camp said the water is monitored constantly. No abnormalities have shown up as of Friday afternoon, he said.
State and local health officials were looking for the source of the organic waste that consumed oxygen in the water, leaving fish and other aquatic animals without enough oxygen to breathe.
DEC said it is requiring Great Lakes Cheese “to implement a suite of operational improvements and enhanced monitoring to immediately address effluent exceedances from its wastewater treatment process, improve the quality of the facility’s digester operations, and continue data collection to fully assess impacts to the creek.”
The press release said that so far, DEC “has documented tens of thousands of fish, amphibians, reptiles, and other species impacted in the recent die-off. The investigation is ongoing, and more details will be provided as information becomes available.”
The New York State Department of Health and Cattaraugus County Health Department are continuing to evaluate whether there might be potential impacts to wells in the area immediately adjacent to the plant.
“At this time, there is no indication of impacts to drinking water supplies,” according to the statement. “Local water systems have been notified and are taking precautionary monitoring steps. The County Health Department is conducting limited sampling from a few private wells in the area. Residents with private wells who have questions about any potential impact can contact the New York State Department of Health at bpwsp@health.ny.gov or reach out to the County Health Department.
The public has been advised by DEC to avoid all contact with Ischua Creek in and downstream of Franklinville including recreational uses such as fishing/fish consumption, boating, and swimming, until further notice.
“People should limit contact with dead wildlife and keep domestic animals and livestock away from the creek,” DEC stated.
“If removal of carcasses is deemed necessary, as always when handling dead animals, wear disposable gloves, a mask, and eye protection,” DEC said. “Avoid direct contact with the carcass or carcass fluids by using a shovel and washing hands and clothing immediately after with soap and hot water.”
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