SALAMANCA — While the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection continues its review of a proposed hydro-fracturing wastewater treatment plant on the upper Allegheny River, the Seneca Nation of Indians kept up its efforts against the facility Wednesday.

Environmental experts and government representatives met with Seneca officials to discuss what they see as the potential dangers of the proposed treatment plant in Potter County, Pa.

The Nation and other groups in both Pennsylvania and New York state have expressed opposition to a plan by Epiphany Allegheny LLC and the Coudersport Area Municipal Authority (CAMA) to establish the treatment facility, which would take in hundreds of thousands of gallons of fracking wastewater and release treated water into the river.

After the meeting, Seneca Nation President Todd Gates said the Nation only wants to preserve the Allegheny River, or the “Ohi:yo’” in the Seneca language, meaning “beautiful water.” He said he was thankful for those who came to the meeting to share their thoughts and concerns on the need for clean water in both New York and Pennsylvania.

“It is not for any individual or group to destroy or contaminate the water, nor to deprive future generations of that most vital natural gift,” Gates said during a press conference.

If the plant were completed, up to 42,000 gallons of treated water could be piped by the treatment facility through the municipal sewage treatment plant and discharged into the river each day.

“One of the driving forces of this project is certainly economics, but the environmental and health risks cannot be calculated,” Gates said.

Opponents are particularly concerned that naturally occurring radionuclides could be released with the treated water discharge. They cite studies of other watercourses that drain into Pennsylvania’s lower Allegheny River — streams that received treated fracking water — that showed notable traces of radioactive sediment.

But Tom Joseph, Epiphany co-founder and chief technology officer, has maintained that the $1 million Epiphany facility would involve a boiler system that will produce far cleaner discharges.

Gates said the concerns of high levels of radiation from the water aren’t solely on cancers, but other autoimmune diseases such as arthritis and diabetes, all of which he said can come from long-term radiation exposure.

“Maybe it’s low, acceptable levels now, but after awhile they’re going to have to contain it, store it and dispose of it,” he said. “But there is no safe, clean disposable way to get rid of radiation. We found that out through the West Valley Project.”

Besides its effects on people who use the river water in their homes, the project could have environmental and health impacts on wildlife in and along the river.

“The headwaters of the Allegheny River are some of the cleanest waters I have ever studied,” said Dr. John Stolz, director of the Center for Environmental Research and Education at Duquesne University, who attended the meeting in Salamanca.

Stolz said treating water from shale gas drilling in Pennsylvania began in 2004, and since then they’ve discovered high concentrations of contaminants in the rivers. Although shale gas drillers have not used municipal sewage treatment plants to dispose of wastewater containing radionuclides since 2011, Stolz said this new process is supposed to remove a lot of the impurities.

“It’s important for the community to know that this whole process is untested,” said Tina Abrams, a Seneca council member. “It’s never been done here before and there’s no tests to prove that it is safe, so we have to stop this process immediately.”

Additionally, the proposed facility would be located in a 100-year floodplain. In the event of a flood, Gates said thousands of gallons of untreated hazardous and radioactive material stored onsite could be released directly into the Allegheny River.

The Pennsylvania DEP reported that it has received more than 3,000 comments regarding the Epiphany project. The plan has also drawn the opposition of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the New York State DEC, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Cattaraugus County Legislature, the Salamanca Common Council and other government organizations, as well as individual residents.

The project is currently under review by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. If approved by the DEP, it would be Epiphany’s first desalination and distillation site in the state.

Gates said representatives from CAMA and the DEP attended the meeting Wednesday. He said the EPA will take their questions, comments and concerns into account when rendering their decision to approve the plant.

“Contamination doesn’t know geography. … Any foreign matter that comes into the territory and contaminates our water is unacceptable,” Gates said. “There’s an ecosystem that depends on us.”

CAMA meets at 6:30 p.m. Monday.

(Contact editor Kellen Quigley at kquigleysp@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter, @Kellen_Quigley)