The Newly Launched Pipewatch Program

Riverkeeper is pleased to announce the creation of yet another program to help clean up our waterways!

Have you ever been paddling in, or walking along, a waterway and noticed pipes along the banks that seem to be draining directly into the water? Those outfalls are point sources of pollution and it is imperative that we locate them and find out what is being dumped into our streams.

The Pipewatch Program aims to locate, inspect, and monitor all of the outfalls in the Niagara River Watershed. We are in the first stage of the program where we need to locate all of the outfalls. Once the outfalls have been located we will begin to test the water that is being discharged in order to determine their potential for harming our waterways.

Our dedicated volunteers began paddling our waterways in early June and we have already begun to receive information about the outfalls. As outfalls are discovered and inspected, we will be mapping them so that you can see their locations. This link will take you to our googlemaps page < http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=111647279894937938118.000451841c66d5cfe5511>. Each “balloon” represents one outfall and clicking on the “balloon” will allow you to view a photograph of the outfall.

While our volunteers have been working diligently since the program began, we are still looking to recruit new volunteers. There are thousands of miles of streams in the watershed and the more volunteers we have out there, the faster we will be able to identify the points of potential pollution. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, please contact Robbyn Drake at rdrake@bnriverkeeper.org or by calling (716)852-7483. New volunteers will need to take a short introductory course to familiarize themselves with the program.

News from Ellicott Creek

Ellicott Creek Captain Mark Casper has this update to share with us:

Collected coliform samples from wooden bridge in Amherst St Park, and just below the bridge over Glen Ave. at Glen Falls. The creek level is low (2.3 feet at Sheridan Dr monitoring point) due to ice forming - but not yet frozen over at either site. Outdoor Temp 19 deg F. Water temp 32 deg F. A walk by the Williamsville sewer overflow and siphon-under-the-creek site yield a slight sewage smell, but no obvious grey water - the overflow pipe is plugged at the creek but leaking and running in from several points - but running pretty clear. The cesspool behind the Glen Fitness Center remains clear.

I have kayaked this stretch several times lately - a big spill of styrofoam peanuts along a good stretch of the bank, fallen trees have been cleared out by the Town of Amherst. A really fun time like a giant waterslide with the rapids squeezed higher by the frozen banks and ice coating the creek bottom in the shallows. A beaver has been very busy trying to topple an 18" dia tree down by the Old Motherhouse. I love this creek.

Mark Casper
Riverkeeper Captain
Jan 23, 2008

I agree Mark! Thanks for sending us the news.