After wastewater discharges turned the base of Niagara Falls black late last month, the state Department of Environmental Conservation has ordered the Niagara Falls Water Board in New York to stop any discharges from its sediment settling basin.

On Aug. 1, Gov. Andrew Cuomo directed the Department of Environmental Conservation to investigate an inky, foul-smelling discharge in the Niagara River between the American Falls and Rainbow Bridge (NYLJ, Aug. 1). The cause of the discharge in the popular tourist destination was the emptying of the sediment settling basin at the Niagara Falls Water Board wastewater treatment plant, operators have said.

In a statement Wednesday afternoon, the governor. a Democrat, said that the Niagara Falls Water Board must cease any discharges from the basin until the department's investigation is completed. The water board also has to “evaluate permanent solutions” such as requiring automatic shutoff valves.