The AkzoNobel Brine and desalination facility .(Photo/ Josh Williams)
GENESEO — Fireworks are expected at tonight’s public hearing with The New York State Department of Conservation and AlphaGeoscience, the company that AkzoNobel hired to conduct geological studies, as they meet with the public to discuss the desalination plant operating in Leicester and it’s likely shut down.
The desalination plant operates as a result of the 1994 AkzoNobel salt mine collapse, which created a cavern underground that is gradually filling with water. As the cavern fills, a pipe that runs 500 feet below surface pumps up the brine and desalinates the water. The plant then sells the salt extracted from the water. AkzoNobel officials stated the plant is operating at a loss of $200,000 per month, and the cavern will not fill up for at least 2,000 years.
Local leaders are enraged that the Attorney General’s office has kept them in the dark on the negotiation, especially since memorandum’s are in place mandating the County be informed on all matter’s concerning the salt mine.
The GeneseeSun.com will live stream the forum, which will be held at Geneseo University, Newton Lecture Building, from 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. There will be an opportunity for the public to ask questions following the presentation.