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By Mark Sommer - August 16, 2021
The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative has helped control invasive species, launched fish and wildlife initiatives in Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, and helped reduce harmful algal blooms, phosphorus and water pollution.
Now, with an infusion of new funds expected into the federal program, area water advocates hope it could soon be used for sediment remediation in the Black Rock canals, Scajaquada Creek, Two Mile Creek, Cayuga Creek and other local waterways.
What's in the infrastructure bill? Money for Great Lakes, the border and weatherization
No matter what you think of it, the infrastructure bill is a 2,701-page tome whose fine print reveals big spending that could benefit Buffalo.
Funds could also be used to upgrade local sewage plants to prevent muck from going into the lake, they say.
Those are some of the ways the $1 trillion infrastructure bill that recently passed in the Senate could benefit Western New York in what has been a major about-face for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, according to Jill Jedlicka, executive director of Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
The infrastructure package includes $1 billion for the federal program, spread out over five years, which has helped improve Lake Erie and local tributaries such as the Buffalo and Niagara rivers. It's also a big departure from former President Donald Trump's attempts each year in office to slash the program's funding, including as much as 90% for the 2020 budget.
Why the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative matters to WNY
The benefits of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative are spread across Western New York. They are apparent to those kayaking on a cleaned-up Buffalo River, fishing in Cattaraugus Creek or biking around Grand Island. The federal program has paid to remove toxins, rebuild habitat and restore wildlife species such as the bald eagle and lake sturgeon. But now the
"This is more money than the Great Lakes has ever, ever seen, and it guarantees a ramp-up in our conservation efforts for the Great Lakes and their waterways," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Monday at Niawanda Park in Tonawanda. "This is really unprecedented support for one of our most critical resources, both natural and economic."
Schumer, who shepherded the legislation through the Senate, said annual appropriations over the same time period will allow even more money to go into the program. He expressed optimism that the infrastructure legislation, which includes money for rail, bridges, roads and broadband, will eventually be signed into law, along with a $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill for what supporters call "human infrastructure."
The Great Lakes account for 84% of North America's surface fresh water, and 21% of the world's supply.
"The lakes are a one-time gift from the glaciers, and they are a resource that our generation needs to defend and protect," Jedlicka said. "It's the kind of funding that we need right now for these problems that are not going away and that are just getting more expensive to deal with."
Schumer praised the progress seen with the Buffalo River – which he noted is on its way to being delisted as a "federal area of concern" – and the cleanup occurring along the Niagara River.
Buffalo seeing economic gains from Great Lakes restoration efforts
A study found that for every dollar the U.S. government spends on restoring the Great Lakes, Buffalo could see big economic gains through the next couple of
He also cited population boosts seen in the lake's sturgeon and trout, and the benefits of such boosts to the ecosystem and fishermen.
The senator warned that climate change threatens the Great Lakes and those whose economic livelihoods depend on them.
"If these rivers and lakes go bad, and can't be used for recreation or economic purposes, we're cooked," Schumer said. "They are essential to our economy and our quality of life here in Western New York."
Brian Smith of the Citizen's Campaign for the Environment called the funding a "once-in-a-generation opportunity to catapult Great Lakes restoration forward once and for all."
There is also $55 billion in the infrastructure bill for other water projects.
Great Lakes meeting in Buffalo yields progress reports
Continuing the progress of Great Lakes restoration while solving the watershed’s emerging challenges were the top topics of discussion at Tuesday’s public meeting held by the International Joint Commission in Buffalo. Some of the top goals? An international designation of importance for the Niagara River. The elimination of sewage overflows. More wetlands and habitat for keystone species. Waters free from
Those funds are expected to be used to complete repairs to the north breakwall in the Buffalo Harbor, damaged by storms in October 2019, and to replace the south breakwall. Improvements are expected to the Black Rock Channel and Tonawanda Harbor; and engineering and design for repairs to the Dunkirk Harbor Outer breakwall and the West Pier at Wilson Harbor.
Funds are expected to complete the Great Lakes Coastal Resiliency Study, which aims to find ways to prevent the sort of flooding that has plagued the Lake Ontario shoreline in recent years.
The bill also includes $429 million in U.S. Coast Guard construction, which could be used for an ongoing improvement project at the Coast Guard's facilities in Buffalo. It adds $3.5 billion in funding to clean up Superfund hazardous waste sites, of which there are 19 in the eight counties of Western New York. And there is $2.7 billion to clean up brownfields, of which there are 181 federally designated brownfield sites in Erie and Niagara counties alone.