Habitat Restoration in Great Lakes Areas of Concern: Buffalo River
NOAA-GLC Regional Habitat Restoration Partnership
About Buffalo River Habitat Restoration
The Great Lakes Commission (GLC) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are leading efforts to restore several critical Great Lakes Areas of Concern (AOCs) — the worst “toxic hotspots” in the region. Due to a legacy of heavy industrial use, New York’s Buffalo River was considered biologically dead as recently as the 1960s and was declared an AOC in 1989. Since 2013, the GLC has received Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding through its partnership with NOAA to restore nearly two miles of shoreline and twenty acres of habitat at eight sites along the lower Buffalo River AOC. The GLC worked with local partner Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper to complete restoration at the eight restoration sites in 2018. Post-restoration monitoring of the sites was completed in fall 2018.
More about Buffalo River Restoration
The Buffalo River was considered biologically dead as recently as the 1960s, with extremely low levels of dissolved oxygen, high temperatures, stagnant flows, and lack of any life other than extremely hardy or pollution-tolerant plant and fish species. In 1989, Buffalo River was designated a Great Lakes Area of Concern (AOC) as part of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement of 1987.
Since 2013, the NOAA-GLC partnership has worked to enhance and restore nearly two miles of shoreline and twenty acres of habitat across eight sites in the Buffalo River AOC. The Buffalo River restoration projects enhanced and restored habitat, created more natural and stable shoreline, treated storm-water, controlled and managed invasive species (primarily Japanese Knotweed Fallopia japonica), reduced erosion, and controlled sedimentation in the AOC to create economically valuable waterfront destinations.
In collaboration with NOAA, Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and other partners, the eight restoration projects were completed in 2018. These projects are expected to remove several beneficial use impairments (BUIs), and ultimately help advance the delisting of the Buffalo River as an AOC.
Benefits of Restoration
Environmental Benefits:
- Restored about two miles of shoreline and 20 acres of habitat
- Enhanced fish and wildlife habitat
- Increased natural and stable shoreline
- Reduced invasive species
- Restoration brings the Buffalo River closer to being delisted as an AOC
Community Benefits:
- Improved water quality and ecosystem health
- Created aesthetically beautiful sites
- Increased water-based recreation, sport-fishing, and wildlife viewing
- Reduced storm-water runoff and erosion
Economic Benefits:
- Improved habitat for species important to sport fishing tourism
- Increased recreation and tourism opportunities
- Reduced erosion and sedimentation
Documents and Fact Sheets
The following fact sheets and documents provide additional information about the Buffalo River project and specific elements of the project.
News Coverage
- Buffalo River restoration completed at Katherine Street | January 2024
- More than $2.5 million coming to Western N.Y. for Buffalo River restoration | October 2023
- Innovative Remediation Projects Breathe New Life Into Communities | September 2023
- Wetland Restoration Set to Begin in Buffalo’s Outer Harbor | August 2023
- Habitat Restoration Aids in Revitalization of Buffalo Rivers | March 2020
- Ohio Street Habitat Restoration Project will bring Pollinator Garden and Amenities to NYSDEC Boat Launch | October 2017
Buffalo River Habitat Restoration Video
Project Partners
Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper
NOAA
NYS DEC
U.S. EPA
Funding
Just under $6 million was been awarded to this project by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). GLRI is a federal program designed to protect and restore the largest system of fresh surface water in the world — the Great Lakes. The project funding was provided via the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) through a Regional Partnership with the Great Lakes Commission.
For More Information
Jill Estrada
Coastal Conservation and Habitat Restoration
Senior Program Specialist, Great Lakes Commission
734‐396‐6059 • [email protected]
Katherine Winkler
Director, Ecological Design & Implementation, Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper
716-852-7483 (Ext. 15)
[email protected]
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