As a result of an ongoing investigation, the state Department of Environmental Conservation has directed the Great Lakes Cheese facility in Franklinville, Cattaraugus County, to take immediate actions to address ongoing impacts related to the discharge of organic waste to Ischua Creek.
DEC officials said they have been advised that operations of the plant’s discharge outfall to Ischua Creek have been paused.
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.
“Ischua Creek is a vibrant, healthy ecosystem and the environmental damage witnessed this week is significant,” DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton said. “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.”
“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,” State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said. “We will continue to review environmental and water quality data. At this time there is no indication of impacts to drinking water systems.”
DEC is requiring Great Lakes Cheese to implement several 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. To date, 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.
In addition, 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. 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 State Department of Health has information about private wells on its dedicated website, Private Wells.
On Tuesday, DEC responded to reports of a large fish kill in Ischua Creek in Franklinville. DEC field teams immediately responded to investigate and are closely monitoring water quality, tracking downstream of Franklinville, and assessing impacts to aquatic life. Staff observed multiple types of dead aquatic species in the area.
Out of an abundance of caution, the public is advised to avoid all contact with Ischua Creek downstream of Franklinville, including recreational uses such as fishing/fish consumption, boating, and swimming, until further notice.