PUSH to expand water-runoff initiative

By Aaron Garland and Brandon Schlager

BengalNews Reporters

     Spring can’t come soon enough for PUSH Buffalo.

     Once the weather becomes warmer, PUSH will plant and install various increments, which will absorb runoff storm water, to ensure that sewers do not overflow throughout the West Side. Rain gardens, green roofs, bio swales and rainwater catchment systems will be installed to act as sponges to combat runoff pollution and guarantee cleaner water in Buffalo. This new initiative will be called the Green Infrastructure project.

     The city is becoming increasingly flooded with environmental hitches, and the recent profusion of rain has further exposed the faulty sewer systems of Buffalo. Storm water and sanitary water from houses in the city combine to run in one system, which drains into Lake Erie and area rivers through a wastewater treatment facility. During times of extended rain or sewer runoff, a system overflow is created, causing untreated water to flow into the lake and rivers.

     “It’s a pretty significant issue for the city when any amount of sewage going into the lake and the rivers is an issue,” Jenifer Kaminsky, director of housing for PUSH Buffalo, said. “I think it impacts all facets of the economy and just the health and safety of neighborhoods.” Kaminsky claims that there are millions of gallons going into the system every year.

     The project will be concentrated in PUSH’s “green development zone,” which consists of a 25-block area and 25 PUSH-owned sites on the West Side. The sites are all in the same sewer shed, which runs at the foot of Albany Street. Kaminsky sees this as advantageous because they all share the pipe system.

PUSH will add more gardens throughout the West Side.

     “We purchase them either because they have been identified as being a burden to the neighborhood, being used for dumping or illegal activities,” Kaminsky said. “So we purchased it to clean it up and address what was going on, making it a garden or a simple ‘clean-and-green,’ where we clean, mow, seed and clear any debris.”

     The project will address the increasing sewer overflow problem over the next two years. According to Kaminsky, PUSH’s goal is to fill 10 sites with green infrastructure, this growing season, and finish the rest next year.

      PUSH is not alone in putting the project into fruition. Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the Buffalo Sewer Authority will aid in working to improve the city’s storm water system. The NYS Environmental Facilities Corporation will assist funding with a grant. 

     Judith Enck, EPA’s Region 2 regional administrator, expressed the significance of funding a committed project that applies cutting-edge ideas to a strong vision for the future of the city.

     “These things don’t happen overnight, but it’s really the community support that makes a difference,” Enck said. “Clearly, these are organizations who are involved in the community, who listen to the community, and have found the intersection between affordable housing, green jobs and sustainability. I think Buffalo has the potential to be a model for the nation.”

Some PUSH gardens are design to capture runoff from rain.

     Not only will the project reduce the amount of water going into an already stressed storm water system, but it will also create green jobs. PUSH will hire a landscape crew to help with the installation of the green infrastructure, which will also augment aesthetics and living quality of people in the area.

     “You’re not just building a rain garden or a community park,” Suzanna Randall, green infrastructure coordinator at the NYS EFC, said. “You’re enhancing community nutrition, you’re providing green-job training, you’re providing green jobs, you’re providing a more walkable neighborhood. In short, you’re revitalizing this community.”

     Kaminsky noted that residents could also address the overflow problem to improve standards of living across the city.

      “This is a city-wide problem — it’s not just a West Side problem,” Kaminsky said. “We’re all impacted by the environment of our waterways, so I think this is something that will happen city-wide. Whether it’s projects by the city or local homeowners, anyone can install a garden on their property to help out.”