Endicott Residents Are Told Leachate Release Into River is Safe

Endicott residents are being assured that leachate that is being treated at i-3 Electronics on the Huron campus and then released into the Susquehanna River near Union Endicott High School is safe. 

The former Endicott Interconnect Technologies facility was issued a temporary permit for the release of effluent starting in 2011. 

Residents at a meeting hosted by the Western Broome Environmental Stakeholders Coalition were told the treated material is as safe as drinking water, but some were not so sure.

Residents also complained about smell from the leachate and questioned what was in the material, which has reportedly spilled twice at the facility, which is located near a village water source.

There had been some claims that leachate that is now also being treated from the Seneca Meadows landfill contained substances from hydraulic fracture drilling operations in Pennsylvania.  The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation says it has no evidence that there is fracking material in the Seneca Meadows leachate.

The DEC is weighing information about the program to determine if it will be made permanent or extended.