Month: December 2021

From BuffaloRising.com (December 8, 2021)

The threats of the current Niagara Falls wastewater treatment plant floated to the surface (quite literally) during the infamous 2017 ‘black water’ case that left a discharge from the sewer tunnel engulfing the plant’s outfall adjacent to Niagara Falls. Sadly enough, this is only a foreshadowing of catastrophic events that are bound to happen with the plant’s outdated and inefficient current treatment system.

In response to this cataclysm, the Niagara Falls Water Board (a public benefit corporation created in 2002 by a special act of the New York State Legislature in order to provide safe and reliable water and wastewater management services to our community in an economical and efficient manner) has been actively searching for ways- and the means- to improve the efficiency of the sewer plant.

The Water Board’s Executive Director, Abderrahman Zehraoui, Ph.D stated, “the engineering facts are undeniable, the current treatment system is outdated, inefficient and far too costly to operate, it must be converted to a biological treatment process. Band aids have been applied to keep the facility running these last 4 or 5 years, but time is running out. Change must come.”

The Niagara Falls Water Board plan to convert the Niagara Falls Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) to a biological treatment system has an estimated cost in the $200 to $250 million range. In opposition to the current chemical system, this conversion plan is universally recognized as the only viable way to provide safe treatment of waste water for the city.

Following President Biden’s recent signing of the historic bi-partisan $1T American Infrastructure and Jobs Act, the Mayor of Niagara Falls, Ontario, delivered a formal resolution to the Mayor of Niagara Falls, New York, during a ceremonial, bi-national meeting on the Rainbow Bridge, demonstrating unified support of an “Infrastructure Initiative” of the Niagara Falls Water Board (NY). The initiative requests funding for this conversion of the plant’s treatment system in order to not only protect water quality, but also preserve these critical bodies of water like the historic Lower Niagara River and Lake Ontario watershed.

“Water quality is critical to the well-being of our community and the requested funding is essential to bring the WWTP to acceptable treatment conditions. The landmark infrastructure bill recognizes how critically important water infrastructure is to securing a viable future, and I join Mayor Restaino and Mayor Diodati in calling upon our leaders in Washington, D.C. and Albany to provide funding for this necessary project,” said Nicholas Forster, Chairman of Niagara Falls Water Board.

Read more: https://www.buffalorising.com/2021/12/sounding-the-call-to-albany-allocate-american-infrastructure-funds-to-niagara-falls-to-prevent-another-environmental-disaster/