66 Search Results for Scajaquada

Oct 11

2015

Scajaquada and other pollution problems

Published by

Jim Heaney and Steve Brown discuss the painfully slow progress being made in cleaning up polluted creeks and streams throughout Western New York on the second weekly installment of “Outrages & Insights” broadcast on WGRZ. The problem is rooted in antiquated sewage systems that are often overwhelmed by an influx of water during rain storms and snowmelts, Heaney told Brown. Systems, unable to handle the water, dump untreated sewage and runoff into nearby creeks and streams. The solution requires costly repairs to sewer lines and upgrades to treatment systems. Politicians at the local, state and federal levels have been unwilling[...]

Posted 8 years ago

Sep 28

2015

No action from state on Scajaquada

Published by

In July, Cheektowaga officials submitted to state regulators their $50 million workplan to address sewer overflows, which continue to pollute the Scajaquada Creek. More than two months later, the Department of Environmental Conservation still hasn’t responded to the town. This is déjà vu for Cheektowaga officials, who had their original plan rejected by the DEC in 2010. Time stood still for four years while the DEC failed to force the issue, until we reported on the deadlock in July 2014. On Monday, Senator Tim Kennedy joined town officials Monday to urge the DEC to expedite the review so that the[...]

Posted 9 years ago

May 8

2015

Progress to report on Scajaquada Creek

Published by

There is limited, but noteworthy progress to report some 10 month after Investigative Post and WGRZ reported on the sorry state of Scajaquada Creek. The Town of Cheektowaga is poised to sell more than $12 million in bonds to finance the first phase of work to line sewer pipes to seal cracks and update infrastructure in the Winston-Vegola neighborhoods which have the most sewer overflow problems in the town. Another $41 million in planned work will be spread out over a decade. The Buffalo Sewer Authority, meanwhile, continues to study the feasibility of treating more of Cheektowaga’s sewage to reduce overflows into the[...]

Posted 9 years ago

Apr 21

2015

City Hall still ignoring Scajaquada Creek filth

Published by

Investigative Post reported four weeks ago that the Brown administration had fudged the city’s recycling rate by including, for the first time, clothing donated to outlets like Goodwill and the Salvation Army. Tuesday we reported another attempt by the mayor’s office to mislead the public, this time involving Scajaquada Creek. Environmental reporter Dan Telvock told WGRZ on Monday that the administration had failed to follow through on its pledge of last July to clean sewage and garbage from a badly polluted section of Scajaquada Creek in Delaware Park. Mike DeGeorge, the mayor’s spokesman, responded with a call to WGRZ after[...]

Posted 9 years ago

Apr 3

2015

Scajaquada Creek coverage honored

Published by

Investigative Reporters & Editors has cited Investigative Post and WGRZ for their coverage of the sorry state of Scajaquada Creek. IRE, the world’s leading professional organization of investigative journalists, recognized the Scajaquada Creek coverage in announcing the winners of its annual reporting awards.  The Scajaquada Creek coverage was listed as one of three finalists for multi-platform reporting in the small market category. The competition involved more than 550 entries from news organizations that include The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, ProPublica, Frontline and CNN. IRE handed out first-place awards in 14 categories and recognized 51 finalists. The[...]

Posted 9 years ago

Jan 12

2015

Scajaquada story voted best of 2014

Published by

Our readers have spoken – Dan Telvock’s coverage of sewage-clogged Scajaquada Creek was the best work produced by Investigative Post in 2014. Thirty-six percent of the 92 readers who cast a vote in our online poll that closed at midnight selected “The Scajaquada is a crippled creek,” which also aired on WGRZ and published in Artvoice. It was the first of nine stories Telvock did on the creek, into which Buffalo and Cheektowaga dump 500 million gallons of sewage and stormwater runoff annually. As a result, sludge up to five feet deep lines some sections of the creek and the water[...]

Posted 9 years ago

Dec 11

2014

Scajaquada progress, at a price

Published by

Engineers have told Cheektowaga it’s going to cost up to $53 million to update the town’s aging sewer system, which spews hundreds of million of gallons of sewage mixed with stormwater into local waterways every year. A number of options are under consideration, including lining leaky sewer lines and building underground storage tanks to hold sewage until it can be treated. The work could take up to a decade to complete and might require financing that would be subject to a referendum. The town is also considering steps that would end illegal connections of downspouts, basement drains and sump pumps[...]

Posted 9 years ago

Sep 4

2014

Progress on Scajaquada Creek pollution

Published by

After years of inaction, local and state officials are acting to stem the flow of sewage overflows into the badly polluted Scajaquada Creek. Following a series of stories by Investigative Post last month that aired on WGRZ and published in Artvoice: The Buffalo Sewer Authority, which treats Cheektowaga’s sewage, proposed several options to reduce the flow of untreated sewage into the creek after heavy and moderate rains. The most promising option could cut the volume of overflows by about half, according to town Supervisor Mary Holtz. Town of Cheektowaga has retained an engineering firm to develop a new blueprint to[...]

Posted 10 years ago