TAKING A REGIONAL WATERSHED APPROACH TO REDUCE COST, IMPROVE WATER QUALITY AND SUPPORT WATERFRONT DEVELOPMENT

The Cities of Buffalo and Lackawanna in Western New York share approximately five miles of waterfront along Lake Erie. This stretch of prime waterfront is the focus of redevelopment promoting residential, recreational, commercial and light industrial growth. However, a significant roadblock exists that will eventually stunt redevelopment: lack of sewerage conveyance and treatment capacity. Faced with significant costs to address these issues, the Buffalo Sewer Authority (BSA) and Erie County Division of Sewerage Management (DSM) jointly sponsored a comprehensive study to look at resolving these issues and support development using a regional watershed based approach, involving eliminating the Lackawanna WWTP and conveying flows to the BSA's system. The evaluation showed that the BSA and DSM could fully support development plans along the Buffalo-Lackawanna waterfront that will significantly improve the area, while saving approximately 20 million of taxpayer money. This approach will also significantly improve the regional water quality.