ENDICOTT, N.Y. -- A few years ago if you lived or traveled through the village of Endicott, you may have smelled a foul odor and wondered what it could possibly be.
A group called "Concerned Citizens of Endicott" says it's because the company i3 Electronics processes 80,000 gallons of "toxic leachate" a day at their Clark Street treatment plant, and then disposes of it in the river.
That substance is the liquid that seeps out of the garbage in landfills, which can contain industrial solvents, hydrocarbons and radioactive materials.
"The smell in downtown Endicott was unbearable, and we raised a stink about it and DEC had a meeting with us later on in the year, and they were very kind to put in Carbon filters on the tanks," Endicott resident William Huston said.
The smell has greatly subsided, but these residents say the Department of Environmental Conservation has continued to allow i3 Electronics to not only process and dispose of their own chemicals, but also truck in toxic liquids from off-site customers like Seneca Meadows, the largest landfill in New York.
"I already live on a contaminated thing from IBM that they can't clean up for the rest of my lifetime, and now I got to watch these tankers go by everyday," Endicott resident Mark Bacon said.
The location in which they dispose of the toxins could be very unsafe for residents.
"The primary concern for the village of Endicott is that the place where this effluent goes is right on top of the village of Endicott's primary drinking water well," Hutson said. "So we are essentially drinking whatever this effluent is."
i3 Electronics has submitted an application to the DEC to renew a permit that would allow them to continue this disposal. The public can make comments on it until July 29th. "Concerned Citizens of Endicott" wants residents to ask for a 90 extension on the comment period, and ultimately urge the DEC to deny the permit.
The DEC sent a statement saying in part, "DEC evaluated the wastewater characteristics of i3 and determined that a permit modification is appropriate. The proposed draft permit includes new requirements that are protective of the water quality of the Susquehanna River watershed."
Permit modifications include testing and monitoring toxicity levels, and increase sampling. To view the modifications in full you can visit the DEC's website here.