TONAWANDA, N.Y. -- Since the 1920s, the Huntley Power Plant in the Town of Tonawanda has allowed companies to pump untreated river water from the property for manufacturing purposes. The since-closed plant, owned by NRG and recently put on the market, could be cutting that water supply if the "grey water" contract is not renewed in 2019.

The Town of Tonawanda discovered two years ago when the Huntley Power Plant shut down that companies were getting their water supply from the property. With the uncertainty after 2019 looming over companies' heads, they discussed future plans with the town, ones that wouldn't be completed for years.​

"Without the extension, our industrial raw water project cannot happen, and the reason is simple – our project is going to take three years to complete," said Town of Tonawanda Supervisor Joe Emminger. "The agreements expire in roughly 12 to 14 months, so you can see there's a gap there. Much to the surprise of everyone, nobody really knew that they were supplying water to the industries.

"Now when we say suppling water, we're not talking about a little bit of water here, okay. We're talking about tens of millions of gallons a day, so they can't operate without this raw water."

Peroxychem, Dunlop and 3M, all of which get their water supply from the property in question, employ about 4,000 workers in the Town of Tonawanda. It's those workers that Sen. Charles Schumer pointed toward when calling on NRG to extend the contract.

In a statement from David Gaier, Senior Director, Communications and Spokesman of NRG, he said,

"Regarding the closed Huntley plant, the current contracts for water intake services are still in effect and may be extended by mutual agreement. NRG is aware of the importance of the industrial plants’ access to water and we continue to work with them, and with the Town of Tonawanda, while balancing the needs and future opportunities for the site which is a key priority for the community and NRG as well.

To be clear, NRG does not provide water to these industrial customers. They operate their own pumping equipment on the site to take water from the Niagara River. We have confidential commercial contracts in place to permit their ongoing use. It’s important to note that Huntley station has been retired for two years, and we’ve worked in good faith with those industrial companies for almost three years—since before the station closed—to accommodate their needs and allow time to plan for the future."