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The Anheuser-Busch Budweiser beer brewery, located 13 miles north of Syracuse in Baldwinsville, released nearly 1.2 million pounds of wastewater into the Seneca River in 2020, according to a September report released by the non-profit organization Environment America.

Advocates and researchers said the chemical contents of the company’s releases can contribute to New York state’s growing number of harmful aquatic algal blooms, which occur when levels of algae rapidly increase in a body of water and harm the surrounding environment. Anheuser-Busch must decrease the amount of nitrate emissions in its wastewater to lower pollution, said David Masur, a representative of Environment America.

Charles Driscoll, Syracuse University professor of environmental systems, said breweries like Anheuser-Busch use an immense amount of water in their production of beer.

Breweries release nitrates, which are organic compounds made up of nitrogen and oxygen atoms, into the wastewater, he said. While nitrates are not very toxic, they can create harmful algal blooms in bodies of water, Driscoll said.

Nitrates initiate a process called eutrophication by creating an ideal environment for algae growth. When these algae die, the decomposition process consumes much of the oxygen supply, leaving little to no oxygen for the rest of the aquatic life who need it to survive, according to the United States Geological Survey.

Both Driscoll and Dr. Dave Matthews, the director of the Upstate Freshwater Institute, a non-profit research corporation, said the Seneca River already has existing problems maintaining healthy oxygen levels, and the large amounts of nitrates the brewery adds to the river’s ecosystem only make the issue worse.

Since organic compounds like those released by Anheuser-Busch have such a high potential to harm aquatic environments, Driscoll said they present risks for people as well.

Blue Baby Syndrome is one of the most prominent human health concerns associated with excess nitrates in the environment, he said. This syndrome occurs when nitrates, typically ingested through drinking water, inhibit oxygen transfer of red blood cells in infants, resulting in poor circulation and blue-tinged skin.

Although Driscoll said drinking water isn’t sourced from the Seneca River, a large presence of nitrates still pose risks to the environment and to local residents. According to Environment America’s report, Anheuser-Busch is the single most polluting facility in New York state.

Anheuser-Busch rejected the claim, telling WAER FM that the report used incomplete data.

“Due to these reporting processes, this leads to Anheuser-Busch’s discharge appearing higher than others that funnel their water through a municipal treatment center,” a spokesperson told the station.

Masur offered ideas on how communities can address the problem.

“If state officials and the EPA were more vigilant about ratcheting down emissions…in this case, one major facility, you would see a precipitous drop in reported pollution,” Masur said.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation told The Daily Orange that Anheuser-Busch is complying with the state’s water quality requirements and discharging treated wastewater and stormwater in accordance with the State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit.

Anheuser-Busch did not respond to The D.O.’s request for comment.

The state DEC also said they issued a permit renewal to Anheuser-Busch in August that will expire in July 2027 and that they will continue to monitor the facility’s practices.

Masur said that the next renewal period will be an opportunity to advocate for change in the treatment of Anheuser-Busch’s wastewater, specifically citing a potential mandatory public comment period as a way to get voices heard.

Public support of Seneca River is critical to address the pollution issue, Matthews said. He said he has observed a disparity between public support for lakes and for rivers.

“People love lakes. They have lake associations where people are pooling their resources and advocating for water quality in the lake,” Matthews said. “There’s no such thing as a river association.”

Published on October 27, 2022 at 12:53 am