AUBURN -- Wastewater from natural gas drilling will no longer be accepted at the city of Auburn's wastewater treatment facility.
"We have made a significant dent in the hydrofracking fight," said Beth Cuddy who has been fighting against treating the water in Auburn. In June, Auburn residents rallied in front of city council to get their point across.
Thursday, the city council banned gas drilling companies from discharging the wastewater into it's plant. Auburn's facility is just one of two in the state that currently accepts the drilling water. Opponents say the water is a dangerous toxic mix and the Auburn facility was not designed to treat it.
"These treatment plants are for human sanitary waste, they are not designed for gas drilling waste, which is why they never should have been accepting this toxic contaminated waste water," said Walter Hang.
The Auburn plant has been treating natural gas waste water for at least 10 years, and plant officials say they have never had an issue. On Thursday, only one person stepped before the board and spoke against the ban.
The city will take a financial hit, processing the water brought in about $600,000 in revenue a year. "It is a financial loss to the city, and we'll have to make it up somehow but we have to do what's right," said Auburn Mayor Michael Quill.
Those in favor of the ban say it could not have come at a better time, as New York officials consider whether to allow hydrofracking in the marcellus shale, which would create a lot of natural gas waste water which needs to be treated.
