Binghamton and Johnson City, N.Y., officials are waiting for a state report that could shut down their jointly owned and operated wastewater treatment plant for safety issues after a treatment cell wall collapsed last month, dumping 580,000 gallons of partially treated wastewater into the Susquehanna River.
Only seven non-union employees are entering the area after 41 union workers complained about the safety of the plant's biological aerated filtration (BAF) treatment system section and a leaking roof in the facility's control room. The BAF system was installed as part of an upgrade in 2004-2006.