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The Role of Water in Buffalo's Lead Exposure Crisis
Daniel Cadzow — Jan 31, 2022
This policy brief was drafted by Daniel Cadzow, Policy Fellow at PPG and an advocate for environmental justice and equitable transportation infrastructure. The brief finds that Buffalo’s lead in water levels are more troubling than many residents realize stemming from our manufacturing history and combined sewage overflow system. The author detail his own home’s susceptibility to lead contamination and demonstrates that lead may appear in dangerous, unpredictable bursts. Lower …
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The Climate Justice Movement in Western New York
Sam Magavern, Lynda Schneekloth — Jul 12, 2017
Although climate change requires an international response and will require national policies and actions, local geographies have to be involved because it that is where the harms are felt. But how can local and regional areas respond to the climate crisis? This article offers a story of the emergence of a climate justice movement in Buffalo and Western New York as an example of how one community is addressing climate change and its unequal impacts.
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Buffalo Sewer Authority
Eric Vogan — May 3, 2009
The Buffalo Sewer Authority is a public benefit corporation created by the New York State legislature in 1935 to clean wastewater before it is released into the environment. The BSA also maintains the storm drains for the City of Buffalo. The BSA serves the residents and businesses of the Buffalo area as well as some neighboring communities. Currently, around 98,000 Buffalo residents and nearly 400 businesses in the City of Buffalo are served by the BSA.
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Buffalo Water Authority
Amanda Schieber — May 3, 2009
The Buffalo Municipal Water Finance Authority Act governs the Water Board. In general, the Buffalo Water Authority is empowered to establish, fix, revise, change, collect, and enforce the payments of all fees, rates, rents, and other service charges for the use of the services furnished by the system. The Buffalo Water Authority is in charge of setting rates and of capital improvements to the system as a whole over $10,000. Some specific powers of the Water Board: terminate …
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Erie County Sewer Division and Sewer Districts
Nathan Kerstein — May 3, 2009
Each district is a self-supporting entity with the power to assess fees and levy local charges. New York state law gives nearly complete autonomy to the county to run their agencies. The specific agencies are empowered to assemble data relating to the water resources available in the county, number and location of wells, contaminants that are present in the supply of the water in the county, sewage collection and related issues that may arise. Erie County has made the decision …
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Green Infrastructure Can Combat Combined Sewer Overflows
Robert Quinn Dec 4, 2007
Every year millions of gallons of raw sewage are dumped directly into our local waterways here in Buffalo, NY. Combined sewer overflows (or CSO’s) are the cause of this environmental and human health hazard, and they occur an average of 68 times per year, whenever we have heavy rain or snow. Currently the Buffalo Sewer Authority (BSA) is negotiating with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency …
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Methane and Cogeneration Technology: Renewable Energy Opportunities for Erie County Wastewater Treatment Plants
Priscilla Hampton — Nov 27, 2007
This proposal encourages the Erie County Division of Sewerage Management and the Buffalo Sewer Authority (BSA) to explore opportunities to invest in combined heat and power technology at their wastewater treatment facilities. As energy costs continue to rise, use of methane-fueled CHP systems will become more and more cost-effective. Furthermore, facilities will increase energy efficiency, utilize renewable biofuels, decrease utility costs over time, and limit our dependence on …