Regional Niagara River/ Lake Erie Watershed Management Plan - Phase 2

The New York State Department of State awarded Erie County $507,830 to expand the Niagara River Watershed Management Plan - Phase 1 (which was also known as "Healthy Niagara," completed by Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper) to now include the rest of  the Lake Erie watershed. The “Regional Niagara River/Lake Erie Watershed Management Plan - Phase 2” project took place from 2014-2019. Read the press release from the award of funding. Erie County worked with the Lake Erie Watershed Protection Alliance and Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper (formerly Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper) to complete the project. The Phase 2 Niagara River/Lake Erie Watershed Atlas and Bibliography supersedes the Phase 1 Atlas and the Regional Niagara River/Lake Erie Watershed Management Plan - Phase 2 Watershed Characterization supersedes the Niagara River Watershed Management Plan - Phase 1 in that it includes the information from Phase 1 and expands it to include the new watershed area.

A one-page handout describing the grant is available for download. 

A Community Outreach and Participation Plan was created to outline community engagement of stakeholders and the public.

A Citizen's Guide for the public has been developed to summarize the Watershed Characterization Report.

• The Niagara River/ Lake Erie Atlas and Bibliography is out. This is a collection of existing data for the watershed as depicted in maps. It also includes existing reports for water quality in the Niagara River/ Lake Erie Watershed and is organized by county or sub-watershed. The interactive maps can be viewed online through the NYS Department of State. Click "view" and search for "Lake Erie" to get a list of 30 data layers available for the Niagara River/Lake Erie Watershed.

• The Final Draft of the Regional Niagara River/ Lake Erie Watershed Management Plan - Phase 2 Watershed Characterization has just been released! It describes the current state of the Niagara River/ Lake Erie Watershed and makes recommendations for future actions to protect and improve it. Appendices are available as well. Chapters and Appendices are listed separately for download below.
  • Title Pages and Acknowledgments
  • Table of Contents
  • Chapter 1 Introduction
  • Chapter 2 Characterization
  • Chapter 3 Population & Development
  • Chapter 4 Water Quality
  • Chapter 5 Ecology & Biology
  • Chapter 6 Local Law Assessment
  • Chapter 7 Project Inventory - The Project Inventory Table can also be searched online. 
  • Chapter 8 Key Findings and Recommendations
  • Chapter 9 Phase 3 Strategy
  • Appendix A - NOAA Land Cover Classification Definitions
  • Appendix B - Standard Operating Procedure for Impervious Cover Analysis
  • Appendix C - Total Maximum Daily Load Discussion
  • Appendix D - Erie County Water Authority 2018 Drinking Water Report
  • Appendix E - Buffalo Water Authority 2018 Drinking Water Report
  • Appendix F - Site Plan Review Ordinances
  • Appendix G - Model Subdivision Ordinances
  • Appendix H - Openspace/Conservation Model Ordinances
  • Appendix I - On-site Wastewater Model Ordinance
  • Appendix J - Flood Regulation Model Ordinance
  • Appendix K - Wetland Model Ordinances
  • Appendix L - Riparian Buffer/Shoreline Protection Model Ordinances
  • Appendix M - Stormwater Management, Sediment and Erosion Control Model Ordinances
  • Appendix N - Model Ordinance for Steep Slopes
  • Appendix O - Model Junk Yard Ordinances
  • Appendix P - Model Ordinance for Logging/Silviculture Practices
  • Appendix Q - Model Ordinances for Marinas, Boat Launches & Docks
  • Appendix R - Evaluation Charts for Municipal Assessments

• As part of this Phase 2 project, Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper created five in-depth Sub-watershed Implementation Plans from two years of field study for the following sub-watersheds: Upper Tonawanda Creek, Lower Tonawanda Creek, Buffalo River, Smoke(s) Creek, and Eighteenmile Creek. You can access the final draft reports from their website for Phase 2 work including water quality results and recommended actions in these sub-watersheds.

Please fill out the comment form with any comments or questions regarding this project.

For information on Phase 1 of the Watershed Management Plan, please visit Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper's Healthy Niagara website. 

This website was prepared for the New York State Department of State with funds provided under Title 11 of the Environmental Protection Fund.