The city of Ithaca is investigating the dumping of an unknown cleaning chemical into their public sanitary sewer system. According to the city, it happened sometime either Saturday and/or Sunday. They are trying to find out if it was intentional. The city said a significant volume of unknown cleaning solution, solvent, or other chemical was dumped into the public sewer system for the city and town of Ithaca or the town of Dryden. They said it’s much more than would typically be in someone’s home. The city said they believe the chemical entered from a building drain or manhole cover. By the time the substance reached the Ithaca Area Wastewater Treatment Facility, it was toxic to the microbes. Microbes are a key component of the treatment process.
