Niaga a
Rive
AOC
Habitat
Resto atio
a d
Sedime t
Remediatio
Wo k
Fou
yea s
afte
Buffalo
completed
a
g ou db eaki g
fish
ladde
alo g
the
Niaga a
Rive
to
help
ative
eme ald
shi e s
mig ate,
e vi o me tal
c ews
a e
expa di g
the
desig
to
ope
a
impo ta t
oute
to
Lake
E ie.Wo k
is
u de way
to
exte d
special
steel
baffles
alo g
a othe
700
feet
of
the
Buffalo
seawall.
This
builds
o
a
78-foot
pilot
sectio
completed
i
May
2022.
Acco di g
to
p oject
updates
f om
the
U ited
States
E vi o me tal
P otectio
Age cy
(EPA),
the
expa ded
st uctu e
will
slow
the
st o g
wate
cu e ts
alo g
the
wall,
allowi g
ti y
eme ald
shi e s
to
swim
upst eam.The
p oject
is
expected
to
be
fi ished
i
Decembe
2026.
It
is
pa t
of
a
multi-millio -dolla
fede al
a d
state
esto atio
effo t
ac oss
the
Niaga a
Rive
A ea
of
Co ce .
O ce
complete,
the
expa ded
baffle
system
will
give
shi e s
full
access
to
Lake
E ie,
helpi g
meet
Fish
Commu ity
Objectives
a d
epai
lo g-sta di g
damage
i
weste
New
Yo k.
Resto i g
a
key
pa t
of
the
food
web
Eme ald
shi e s
a e
small,
silve
fo age
fish,
but
they
play
a
impo ta t
ole
i
the
food
web
of
the
Niaga a
Rive
a d
easte
Lake
E ie.
La ge
fish,
i cludi g
smallmouth
bass
a d
walleye,
as
well
as
bi ds
such
as
te s
a d
gulls,
depe d
o
them
fo
food.
Fo
decades,
developme t
dis upted
the
fish’s
mig atio
outes.
St o g
cu e ts
alo g
smooth
co c ete
seawalls
ea
B ode ick
Pa k
c eated
ba ie s
that
the
small
fish
could
ot
c oss.Fu ded
th ough
the
G eat
Lakes
Resto atio
I itiative
(GLRI),
the
fi st
phase
of
the
Eme ald
Shi e
Fish
Passage
p oject
epai ed
78
feet
of
damaged
seawall
a d
added
ve tical
baffles
to
slow
the
cu e t.
Phase
II
is
ow
exte di g
these
low-speed
cha els
ac oss
the
emai i g
700
feet
of
seawall.Fede al
officials
said
i
a
EPA
p oject
docume t
that
esto i g
the
passage
will
help
add ess
the
Deg adatio
of
Fish
a d
Wildlife
Populatio s
Be eficial
Use
Impai me t
(BUI),
a
desig atio
give
to
G eat
Lakes
a eas
whe e
ecosystems
have
bee
damaged.
A
ae ial
view
showi g
the
co st ucted
ock
eefs
p otecti g
the
sho eli e.
Image
cou tesy
of
NYSPRHP.
Tu i g
i dust ial
slips
i to
habitat
The
fish
passage
is
pa t
of
a
la ge
g oup
of
esto atio
p ojects
alo g
the
Buffalo
wate f o t.Nea by,
the
US
A my
Co ps
of
E gi ee s
(USACE)
is
wo ki g
o
the
Buffalo
Oute
Ha bo
Slip
#3
Resto atio
P oject.
Co st uctio
bega
i
fall
2023
with
a
p otective
b eakwate
ac oss
the
e t a ce
to
the
slip.
I
August
2024,
USACE
bega
placi g
clea
sedime t
d edged
f om
the
ea by
Buffalo
Rive
i to
the
deep
slip.Sedime t
placeme t
will
co ti ue
th ough
th ee
cycles,
with
the
wo k
expected
to
fi ish
i
2028.
Afte
the
fi al
cycle,
e gi ee s
will
shape
the
ive bed
a d
add
atu al
featu es
such
as
ock
piles,
g avel
beds,
a d
t ee
oot
wads.Whe
complete,
Slip
#3
will
p ovide
6.7
ac es
of
shallow-wate
habitat.
The
a ea
will
suppo t
u de wate
a d
sho eli e
pla ts
while
givi g
ative
fish
a d
bi ds
places
to
feed
a d
shelte .
The
New
Yo k
State
Depa tme t
of
E vi o me tal
Co se vatio
(DEC)
made
the
p oject
a
p io ity
because
it
add esses
the
Loss
of
Fish
a d
Wildlife
Habitat
BUI.
Resto i g
g ee
spaces
a d
wetla ds
Nea by,
the
sho eli e
at
Ralph
Wilso
Pa k
is
also
bei g
t a sfo med.
Co st uctio
bega
i
late
2023
a d
i cludes
emovi g
a
faili g
co c ete
seawall
a d
eplaci g
it
with
a
e gi ee ed
embayme t.EPA
docume ts
show
that
majo
pa ts
of
the
pa k’s
habitat
wo k
we e
completed
i
fall
2024.
Native
pla ti g
a d
sho eli e
esto atio
co ti ued
th ough
2025.
The
p oject
adds
5.6
ac es
of
shallow-wate
habitat
fo
ive
wildlife.Fa the
dow ive ,
p ojects
have
focused
o
p otecti g
wetla ds
f om
e osio
a d
i dust ial
u off.
At
the
Spice
C eek
Wildlife
Ma ageme t
A ea,
a
$2.2
millio
GLRI-fu ded
p oject
completed
i
2022
by
DEC
a d
EPA
added
low
be ms
alo g
the
G a d
Isla d
sho eli e.
The
p oject
esto ed
16
ac es
of
shallow-wate
habitat
a d
3,760
feet
of
coastal
ive bed.At
G ass
Isla d,
ea
Buckho
Isla d
State
Pa k,
a
$5.5
millio
GLRI
p oject
added
ock
eefs,
oot
wads,
a d
aquatic
pla ts
ac oss
13.5
ac es
of
ma shla d.
The
eefs
p otect
pla ts
f om
waves
a d
ice.
The
esto ed
a ea
has
also
att acted
b eedi g
pu ple
ma ti s
du i g
thei
May
a d
August
mig atio s.
The
photo
shows
the
exte sive
wetla d
at
Buckho
Isla d
State
Pa k.
Bu t
Ship
c eek
is
the
access
i to
that
wetla d
f om
the
Niaga a
Rive .
Image
cou tesy
of
NYSPRHP
Ea lie
p ojects
helped
set
the
stage
The
cu e t
wo k
builds
o
esto atio
p ojects
completed
ac oss
the
wate shed
ove
the
past
decade.I
2019,
New
Yo k
State
Pa ks,
Rec eatio
a d
Histo ic
P ese vatio
completed
the
East
Rive
Ma sh
Exte sio
p oject.
It
added
five
ock
eefs,
cable
logs,
a d
ock
sills
alo g
1,000
feet
of
sho eli e.
The
p oject
c eated
i e
ac es
of
wetla d
habitat
a d
educed
sho eli e
e osio .I
2020,
c ews
fi ished
esto i g
Bu t
Ship
C eek
by
emovi g
900
feet
of
de se
hyb id
cattails
that
had
blocked
wate
flow.
The
wo k
eco ected
the
Niaga a
Rive
with
la ge
i te io
wetla ds
at
Buckho
Isla d
State
Pa k,
givi g
fish
access
to
calm
wate s
fo
spaw i g.Removi g
co tami ated
sedime t
has
also
bee
impo ta t.
Betwee
2014
a d
2015,
USACE
a d
DEC
emoved
about
180,000
cubic
ya ds
of
toxic
i dust ial
sedime t
f om
the
Black
Rock
Ca al
avigatio
cha el.With
old
polluta ts
emoved
a d
ba ie s
alo g
the
seawalls
bei g
educed,
e vi o me tal
ma age s
expect
the
Niaga a
Rive
to
co ti ue
movi g
towa d
the
emoval
of
its
fo mal
e vi o me tal
impai me t
desig atio s.
