The problem was
discovered Sept. 25 by an employee who noticed an odor and a cloudy
appearance to the water in one of the restrooms, said Paul Speranza,
manager of environmental and chemical services for Huron. It was
caused by excessive pressure that pushed cooling water used for
manufacturing processes into the drinking water system, he said.
The company is flushing the system, he said. Meanwhile, workers
in the affected buildings are receiving bottled water for drinking.
Speranza said the problem is unrelated to gases from industrial
solvents polluting air and soil under properties south of the
microelectronics plant, on North Street.
The facility, which Huron bought from IBM Corp. in 2002, includes
36 buildings that house about 4,000 workers for Endicott
Interconnect, IBM and other businesses. Water was affected in a
"small group of buildings," Speranza said.
"It's not a health issue, because nobody is drawing any,"
Speranza said.
Officials from the Broome County of Department of Health could
not be reached late Friday afternoon.
Robert Agnew, who worked in manufacturing for IBM and Endicott
Interconnect from 1979 until 2004, said his colleagues at the plant
told him it affected three buildings. Agnew, an Endwell resident,
said he was relieved the problem was not related to the solvent
pollution or the village of Endicott water system, which serves more
than 40,000 users in the village and the Town of Union.
