Heavy rain this past Monday and Tuesday have caused problems for wastewater plants around the Capital District, including the City of Amsterdam. According to the New York State Department of Environmental Cnservation, the City of Glens Falls waste treatment plant reported an estimated 10,000 gallons of untreated sewage overflow into the Hudson River early Tuesday morning. The Town of Waterford reported a 185,000 gallon discharge into the Mohawk River yesterday. Both incidents were labeled “permitted” in the DEC report.
Both the east and west side pump stations for the City of Amsterdam reported discharges into the Mohawk River totaling over three hundred thousand gallons yesterday. The city has faced ongoing problems for several years now due to the lack of separation of storm drains and sewer lines, causing wastewater overflow into the Mohawk River during heavy rain storms.
The city is under a DEC order to improve storm and sewer separation. Earlier this year, the mayor and common council approved $5 million in borrowing to upgrade the city’s pump stations and sewer lines. The project is not expected to be completed until next year.
