BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday it will invest $1 billion to protect and restore waterways in the Great Lakes region.
According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the Niagara River, Buffalo River and Eighteenmile Creek are all on the list of 25 areas of concern the EPA is looking to clean up.
The hope is to have 16 of those 25 off of the list by 2030.
The EPA says the Buffalo River is on track to be delisted well before that date and may be completely cleaned up as early as 2026. According to the EPA, most of the major work is already done but monitoring of fish species, contaminants and the health of the riverbed are ongoing.
The Niagara River, the EPA says, will not be off the list by 2030; there is too much work that needs to be done to clean up sediment in the river.
No specifics were given about a timeline for cleaning up Eighteenmile Creek.
You can learn more about the areas of concern here.
