Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper

Niagara Falls: A recent intended discharge of untreated waste into the Niagara River near the pump station on Whirlpool Street caused a stir on social media this week when it estimated the discharge to be about 15 million gallons. Luckily, that estimate far exceeded the actual discharge of less than 1 million. Like other Great Lakes cities, our antiquated infrastructure includes Combined Sewer Overflows, which discharge into waterways like the Niagara River, the Buffalo River or Scajaquada Creek by design, in order to not back sewage up into residences when heavy rains or snow melt overwhelm the pipe system. Learn more about Combined Sewer Overflows and what you can do to help reduce overflow events on our Sewage Pollution page: https://lnkd.in/gH5z5ZSM

We're still in need of volunteers to help with a stewardship event along the Buffalo River, close to Red Jacket Natural Habitat Park. It's this Saturday, Nov. 16 from 10 a.m. to noon. Thanks to all who can help out! Learn more and register below. https://lnkd.in/ggFDTZQq

Volunteer opportunity! This Saturday we're at Jayne Park on Cayuga Island to plant trees and shrubs. If you can help, sign up below. This is a family friendly event and we welcome children of all ages who are supervised by an adult. Please register anyone who is 13-years-old or older when signing up. Hope to see you there! https://lnkd.in/gqxpbgWi

Today we received this heartfelt letter and donation from one of our centenarian (!!!) supporters and reading it was a great motivator for the work we have ahead. Please join her in donating to our work for clean water. https://lnkd.in/grNcuU4E.

YOUR VOICE NEEDED: We're rolling out our WNY Environmental Justice Grant Program and need to hear from you. The goal is to support disadvantaged and underserved communities to advance short-term opportunities for measurable progress towards Great Lakes ecological and environmental restoration goals. You can read more about it at the link below, and also sign up for one of our listening sessions, both public and virtual. The first one is today – a virtual session at noon. https://lnkd.in/gFzFR2kz

Don't forget, our next volunteer opportunity is next Saturday, Nov. 9. We're in need of people to help plant trees and shrubs in Jayne Park on Cayuga Island. It's from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Registration and more info at the link below. Hope you'll sign up! https://lnkd.in/gqxpbgWi

We must have left it around here somewhere... Okay, okay, we are -sadly - NOT billionaires. But you can inch us closer to raising needed funds to protect Western New York's waterways! bnwaterkeeper.org/donate

Our full statement on this morning’s dismissal of the NYS Attorney General’s lawsuit against PepsiCo: “It is unfortunate that our citizens and communities have little power to combat the scourge of plastic pollution that is overtaking our local environments and waterways such as our beloved Buffalo River. By placing amorphous blame solely on people that pollute with no call for accountability from companies that produce and distribute these products in the first place, this ruling amplifies the rinse-and-repeat strategy over the last century of privatizing profits while socializing the costs of pollution. This ruling is disappointing, but not unexpected. Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper remains dedicated to the protection and restoration of our Great Lakes and waterways. We will continue to collect the data and be the eyes on the water. As for the endless stream of single-use plastic waste in our communities, we implore residents and consumers to continue to hold companies accountable to their own words and promises in the role their products play in polluting our planet and drinking water."

Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper is looking for volunteers to help with a stewardship event along the Buffalo River, close to Red Jacket Natural Habitat Park. The date is Saturday, Nov. 16 from 10 a.m. to noon.? We have several needs for this volunteer effort: -raking and wood debris clearing -seeding and strawing -litter pick-up Click below to learn more and register for this event.?Hope to see you there! https://lnkd.in/g-D3tbZY

Work at Ellicott Island Bark Park to stabilize the shoreline is nearly complete. We will be adding more vegetation this fall and monitoring the site into 2025. Find out more about the project at: https://lnkd.in/eNmjuSXB