The hiring of a law firm by the Erie County Water Authority to pursue legal charges against a media outlet followed by recommendations for moving forward are coming under new scrutiny this weekend.

The ECWA has now provided Spectrum News with invoices from law firm Phillips Lytle for work done that was previously kept from the public.

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A copy of the contract, obtained this week through a Freedom of Information Law request, says the agreement was for a "review of the legal and potential environmental issues relating to the Investigative Post publications, and advice, potential litigation and/or negotiations regarding those issues."

The invoices from that contract show the ECWA, a taxpayer-funded entity, was billed nearly $130,000 between November 2016 and May 2017.

The initial invoices were to explore possible legal action against the Investigative Post after a story from the news outlet criticized the Authority's lead testing program.

Later charges were for the ECWA to review best environmental practices.

The New York State Authorities Budget Office report criticized the water board for approving a declaration of an emergency and hiring Phillips Lytle without describing the nature of the emergency or establishing payment limits on the contract.

It’s been a lengthy battle for the ECWA, which fired its executive director, Earl Jann, just days ago – just months after approving a new contract for him despite the controversy surrounding the water board.