Cleaning Up the Scajaquada Creek Watershed
ERIE COUNTY, NEW YORK
Planning grant sets the stage for revitalizing one of most polluted bodies of water in New York by restoring wetlands, protecting native species, and reducing pollutants into Lakes Erie and Ontario.
Thanks to federal funding, conservationists near Buffalo, New York, are making strides toward major revitalization efforts for Scajaquada Creek, a 13-mile, spring-fed stream that has a significant impact on the health of both humans and wildlife in Erie County and beyond.
Scajaquada Creek, which is considered one of the most polluted bodies of water in the state by the Environmental Protection Agency, flows through a portion of the Erie Canal before emptying into the Niagara River, which in turn connects Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. The stream has been a source of concern for water conservation organization Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper for more than 30 years.
Currently, the stream is heavily polluted by sewage overflow and industrial waste from nearby brownfields (land that is abandoned or underutilized due to pollution from industrial use). Stormwater and sediment runoff contribute to this pollution, which in some areas has resulted in contaminated mud and soil up to five feet deep. As of 2023, Scajaquada Creek contained 20 times more fecal bacteria than is considered safe for human contact and was identified as a breeding ground for avian botulism, a disease that is estimated to have killed thousands of birds in the area.
Initial steps toward revitalization will involve restoring the stream’s natural pathways by addressing issues caused by poor infrastructure, such as straightened channels, hardened shorelines, and buried sections of the stream. Through returning the natural flow of water, conservationists hope to restore at least some of the area’s historic wetlands, 98% of which have been destroyed. Wetlands are important habitats that help filter water and provide homes to countless fish and wildlife species.
Part of a flood risk management feasibility study within the Scajaquada Creek watershed.
Credit: Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper
These restoration efforts will also protect and increase native plant species, address the sewage and industrial pollution problems, and clean up contaminated soil. These improvements will lead to better public health outcomes, not only for the approximately 100,000 people in Buffalo, Cheektowaga, Depew, and Lancaster who rely on the 29-square-mile Scajaquada Creek watershed, but also residents of other interconnected watersheds around Lakes Erie and Ontario.
To fund these projects, Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper was awarded $900,000 by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate-Ready Coasts initiative. A portion of the funding, which was made available by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, will go toward a $600,000 feasibility study that will outline next steps for the restoration process.
The feasibility study was initiated in July 2023 by Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Buffalo District and is being funded by these federal dollars and $250,000 in partner matching from the Margaret L. Wendt Foundation and the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation in western New York.
The study will focus on the portion of the stream that flows through Cheektowaga and is expected to take two years to complete. Upon its completion, the Scajaquada Creek project will become eligible for up to $10 million in federal funds for continuing restoration efforts.
Resource Challenges Addressed
Water pollution
Habitat loss
Wetland degradation
Sewage and industrial waste overflow
Native species conservation
Sediment and stormwater runoff
Key Partners
Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Buffalo District, Margaret L. Wendt Foundation, Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation, and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Cost
$900,000
Results and Accomplishments
Between now and 2025, a two-year feasibility study will pave the way for major restoration efforts to western New York waterways and wetlands.
*This story is part of a Great Lakes restoration success story packet that was used in the Coalition’s 2024 Great Lakes Day, with one story from each state in the region. Read the full packet
