Officials are asking the federal government for nearly $69 million to correct a sewage issue in southwest Yonkers.

News 12 is told a wastewater treatment plant in the neighborhood processes more than half the sewage in the county.

The plant’s equipment hasn’t been updated in a long time, so the odor leaks. The community impacted is made up mostly by people of color.

County Executive George Latimer tells News 12 “This is the mother of all sewage treatment plants in our county, and because of the proximity to the neighborhood, that’s why we can justify the kind of money needed.”

Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D -16th District) says it is both an environmental justice issue and a racial justice issue.

The local leaders hope President Joe Biden will grant the money needed to modernize the plant and seal the odors in.

Latimer, Bowman and other leaders worry that if the plant isn’t fixed now, raw sewage that the plant is unable to process may end up in the Hudson River.