Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper wants to harness green technology to reduce raw sewage in local waterways
A plan to harness green technology to help reduce the amount of raw sewage that spills into local waterways was unveiled today by an environmental group.
Advocates said the long-term blueprint would help dramatically reduce sewer overflows while also producing more attractive and functional streets throughout the city.
Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper spent 14 months reviewing possible solutions to a problem that has plagued the city for generations.
On a regular basis, the city's sewer system overflows and spills untreated sewage and storm water into rivers, creeks and other local waterways. The spillage occurs when heavy rains overwhelm storm and sanitary sewers. After some downpours, residents are even discouraged from swimming in some local waterways.
The Buffalo Sewer Authority has been negotiating with state and federal regulators on a long-range plan for grappling with the problems. A "consent decree" that is expected to detail a game plan could be finalized by the end of the year.
The release of the 55-page study in advance of any final agreement is designed to be a proactive step in helping to shape outcomes, said Julie Barrett O'Neill, executive director of Riverkeeper. She stressed that her group worked closely with Sewer Authority officials, whom she described as being "outstanding" in their willingness to collaborate on ideas.
The study, funded by the John R. Oishei Foundation and the Community Foundation of Greater Buffalo, proposes dozens of strategies for reducing sewer overflows. Some projects rely on more traditional engineering solutions, including a long-planned treatment plant upgrade that would increase system capacity by more than 40 percent.
But much of the focus of the study involves tapping environmentally friendly solutions. For example, advocates are working with the city to experiment with a "green streets" program. Dirty storm water that flows from city streets into the sewers accounts for a significant amount of the overflow.
"Many streets are designed to send every drop of water into the sewer system as fast as possible," O'Neill said. "By redesigning streets, water runoff becomes irrigation for more green space. Additional green space correlates into more beautiful streets and improved property values."
O'Neill said the city already is working on a pilot project in a West Side neighborhood bordered by Forest, Bird and Delaware avenues, and Grant Street.
Ongoing development projects also should embrace green technologies that reduce sewer overflows, O'Neill said, including Canal Side, the continued expansion of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus and school improvement projects.
The study also urges the Sewer Authority to restructure rates to take into account factors such as some properties' huge parking lots. Expansive concrete surfaces send large volumes of storm water into sewers.
Green design schemes also would be used in the management of vacant land under the proposal. New census figures put the city's vacancy rate at 15.7 percent, making it the state's emptiest city.
How much would all these storm water diversion strategies cost?
"Studies have shown that these type of [green technology] designs actually cost less than traditional engineering solutions," O'Neill said.
The more traditional methods include building new treatment plants and expanding cavernous underground storage facilities.
"These alternatives do nothing to improve the functionality of city streets or beautify neighborhoods," O'Neill said. "We get so much more for our dollar if we do things in other ways."
Depending on whose estimates are used, upgrading the city's sewer system to reduce overflows could cost anywhere from $200 million to $500 million.
Sewer Authority General Manager David P. Comerford did not return a call to comment on the study presented by Riverkeeper. But in previous interviews, Comerford said such projects would be financed with long-term bonds. He added that the authority already has spent millions of dollars to help reduce sewer overflows.
Property owners would also be encouraged -- and possibly enticed -- to take steps to keep storm water out of the sewer system. Downspout disconnection programs can divert storm water into rain barrels, planters, gardens or flow-away trenches.
O'Neill said she is encouraged that the city already is moving forward with a pilot program in the First Ward. Downspout disconnection efforts also are under way in some parts of Hamlin Park and the Elmwood Village. In some cities, property owners with disconnected downspouts are given incentives that include sewer fee discounts.
bmeyer@buffnews.com
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