March 11, 2025 | By Kellen M. Quigley | oleantimesherald.com
Photo: Councillor Jeff Gill encouraged the city to be good neighbors.
OLEAN — Residents of Olean and neighboring communities, Seneca Nation officials and all those who enjoy the Allegheny River’s water made their message to the Common Council loud and clear: fix the issue now.
For nearly 90 minutes, more than two dozen people addressed the council and mayor at Tuesday’s regular session, urging them to take aggressive action to address the longstanding failures in the city’s wastewater and stormwater infrastructure that have led to chronic discharges of untreated sewage into the river for decades.
Elected members of the Seneca Nation Council demanded action during the public comment section, noting the impact the issues have on everyone who lives downstream from Olean, especially with the thawing snow and spring rains in the coming weeks.
“You, on the Common Council, it’s your job to protect Mother Earth,” said Tina Abrams, a Seneca Councilor who also read a resolution brought before the Tribal Council on March 8. “You need water to live. You need water to survive. You have to stop polluting the Ohi:yo’.”
Ohi:yo’ is the Seneca name for the Allegheny, meaning “beautiful river.”
Seneca Councillor Klint Nephew read aloud and delivered a letter to Mayor Bill Aiello on behalf of Seneca President J. Conrad Seneca, which in part read, “Protecting the public health of Olean citizens by shifting dangerous wastes, produced in Olean, downstream to other communities such as the Seneca Nation is unconscionable and unacceptable. … This warped mindset and discharge activity must end.”
When the Olean council’s allotted five-minute speaker period ended, Nephew continued to read the president’s letter until complete, speaking over gavel strikes and point of order calls from John Crawford, the Olean council president.
“You gavel me for going over time, but the environment does not wait,” he said.
Kylee Johnson, president of the Salamanca Common Council, spoke on behalf of the city and showed support to the Seneca Nation in requesting a solution. She said the spillages have been an ongoing issue for Salamanca’s residents, who share land around the river with the Seneca Nation.
“The city of Salamanca has never discharged (untreated sewage) and is in 99-percent compliance,” she said. “I believe everyone deserves clean water. I ask the city of Olean to follow the city of Salamanca’s lead and correct this situation way before you’re 2042 deadline.”
IN 2001, THE New York State Department of Environmental Conservation issued an administrative order of conset for the city to upgrade its wastewater treatment facilities to stop discharges into the river. In the ensuing 24 years, the city has been unable to comply with the order, which has subsequently been revised multiple times to allow the city additional time.
Currently, Olean has until 2042 to become fully compliant, and city officials have maintained a course of making $250,000 investments annually in repairs, keeping in compliance with the order of conset deadline.
The mayor said the city spent about $4.6 million on projects to make improvements to the system between 2003 and 2013, and during that same time period, an estimated 7.1 million gallons of rainwater mixed with waste discharge overflowed into the river.
Since 2013, when the state began collecting and reporting discharge notices to the public under the Sewage Pollution Right to Know Law, the city has self-reported 14 discharges. Also during that time, Aiello said the Hoop Street lift station was built, the Adams Street lift station was upgraded with two new pumps and emergency power, the South Fourth Street lift station was upgraded with three new pumps and emergency power and the Martha Avenue lift station received upgrades.
Most recently, the mayor said, the city has been meeting with the DEC, made contacts with the EPA Environmental Finance Centers and received communication from the Seneca Nation president to arrange a meeting.
“I am requesting the Common Council authorize up to $50,000 to hire an engineering consultant to evaluate the Adams Street lift station, Martha Avenue lift station and South Fourth Street lift station for capacity measuring and/or to eliminate the bypass into the river,” Aiello said.
JR Bennion, R-Ward 1, said he’s pleased with the proposal to hire a consultant to evaluate some of the pump stations, but said future plans need to address other issues, such as residential catch basins being disconnected from the city’s system.
David Anastasia, D-Ward 7, wondered whether the $50,000 would be enough to address everything. Aiello said it’s enough to get the process started and have an idea of what grant monies the city can apply for to address specific fixes.
“The last time I had a meeting with the Seneca Nation, they offered their services to help with preparing for grants,” the mayor added. “I’m hoping that collaboration and cooperation will be there again.
AS THE ISSUES with overflow discharges continued in recent years, several speakers noted the city’s decisions to undertake several discretionary projects, issuing over $5 million in bonds for projects renovating the ice rink at the Willion O. Smith Recreation Center; construction of the farmers market pavilion at Lincoln Park; construction of a stage, restrooms and dog park at Oak Hill park and about $1.6 million for a splash park at War Vets Park.
Odie Brant Porter, a long-time Seneca Nation advocate and current Council member, mentioned the various beautification projects the city has undertaken to make the community better but stressed the importance of addressing a crumbling infrastructure as something that should be a top priority.
“As much as you’re trying to make things beautiful for your residents, you’re contaminating it for ours, and it’s disgusting,” she said. “Just as I do and all my colleagues do, we try to make life better for our people. I ask that you do the same.”
Jeffrey Gill, a Seneca Councillor who lives on the Cattaraugus Territory, encouraged the city to be good neighbors with its surrounding communities affected by the overflows. He noted the actions taken to stop the proposed fracking in Potter County — a project that would affect everyone downstream from it, including residents of Olean.
“We’re your friends, we’re your neighbors, and that’s all we ask,” he added.
Seneca Councillor Josh Becker said he and his family spend recreation time on the river, such as boating and fishing, but expressed his concerns with the waste in the river — being able to see and smell it while enjoying the water.
“You guys need to take action and get this fixed,” he said. “I’m asking you, as a father, to get this issue resolved immediately. If you need our help, let us know.”
RESIDENTS OF OLEAN also addressed the council about the issues, with some saying they only recently learned about the extent of the problems.
North Third Street resident Barry Gan said he hopes he doesn’t have to stand before the council again regarding fixing the water system, adding that he believes no one on the council would favor all the untreated discharge overflowing into the river and it’s more a matter of priorities.
“You’re probably frustrated because you’ve been hearing complaints from people who are very frustrated for a long, long time now,” he said. “Establishing a task force to work toward that in the very near future would be a great step in that direction.”
A North Olean resident said when she moved to the city 30 years ago, her water bill was about $90 for three months, but her latest bill was about $170 for one month.
“You guys keep telling us you are going to up our water to make changes to the water plant and the pipes and whatnot,” she said. “But all we are getting is more expensive water and pollution.”
The resident’s son, who said he is 23, has been dealing with issues and health complications from the water issues for his entire life. He called on the council to do better, saying previous councils and mayors have had the opportunity to fix the system for their citizens but failed to do so.
“Shame on you. We can’t wait until 2042,” he said. “This is the most pressing issue this town has.”
Other residents of Cattaraugus County also addressed the council. Glenn Wahl of Little Valley said the mayor’s update at the beginning of the meeting was one small step in a line of many steps that need to be taken, likening it to turning in the first paragraph of an assigned essay.
“Please listen carefully to the concerns of the people here tonight,” he said. “You can still do the right thing.”
A woman who recently moved to the Frewsburg area said the Allegheny River was one of the main reasons she came to the region, and recently finding out the discharges into the river is a decades-long issue was disappointing.
“I’m traveling over an hour to get here — a lot of us are. A lot of people in this room didn’t come from down the street,” she told the council. “All eyes are on you. We’re going to be back. We’re expecting change, and we’re going to make it happen, with or without you.”
