Op-Ed: Infrastructure funds needed to clean up our water

Growing up in Lackawanna, I saw firsthand the impact pollution had on our local waterways. Bethlehem Steel and so many other industries in Western New York left a legacy of contamination that took decades to address. In the last 40 years, we have made great progress in cleaning up the industrial pollution that impacted the water ecosystems in Lake Erie, the Buffalo River and the Niagara River, but there is still much work to do to address the challenges of today.

As we have made progress over the years with laws to protect our air and water, the impact of industrial pollution in Western New York has waned. At the same time, we have faced different challenges with pollution in our waterways. A recent report from Phil Gambini at the Investigative Post shows the extent of the E. coli problem we face. E. coli contamination remains a crisis in Lake Erie, the Black Rock Canal, the Buffalo River, the Niagara River and Scajaquada Creek. The cause of this pollution is Buffalo’s outdated combined sewer overflow system. When our region is hit with heavy rainfall, our sewer system becomes overloaded and untreated sewage flows directly into local waterways.

We are fortunate to be situated next to a Great Lake, with so many opportunities for swimming, fishing and other water-based recreation. But in order to reap the full economic benefits of our good fortune, we need waterways that people can use. If we have waterways contaminated with E. coli, we squander an important economic advantage. Cleaning up our waterways and transforming our water infrastructure is an economic imperative for the future of Western New York.

In Washington, the President and members of Congress are working out the details of an infrastructure deal that will deliver billions of dollars to communities across America. We know our infrastructure is in desperate need of repair and upgrades. We often focus on roads, bridges, airports, train stations and broadband when it comes to infrastructure. We must remember that our water infrastructure is just as important. As the federal government works to deliver much-needed infrastructure assistance, the final deal must include significant investment in clean water infrastructure. For places like Buffalo and Western New York, modernizing our combined sewer overflow system is just as imperative as building new roads and upgrading our airports.

I want to see our region’s waterways thrive like never before. I want all of us to be able to safely fish in Scajaquada Creek and the Black Rock Canal. I want our beaches open every day during the summer, without fear of illness caused by E. coli. Cleaning up our water will move Western New York’s economy forward. As we work to finally put an end to the pandemic and rebuild our economy, investing in clean water infrastructure is a smart way to ensure a better future for all of us here in Western New York.