Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper expands jurisdiction

Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - The Western New York water season officially opened on Monday, which also brought the announcement of a major expansion for the Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper's geographic jurisdiction in their 35th anniversary year.

The new jurisdictional area in which the organization will expand its impact to includes the entirety of the Eastern Lake Erie shoreline, and numerous communities within the expanded watershed all the way to the Pennsylvania border.

"This action allows us to better integrate and engage the many diverse voices across Western New York, so our region can be better coordinated around clean water," said Jill Jedlicka, executive director at Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper. "Western New Yorkers are all Great Lakes residents, who share these resources and share the same future challenges. We are excited to engage with more Western New York residents through advocacy, volunteer events, idea sharing and project implementation for the benefit of our freshwater and ecosystems."

"Today marks a significant milestone for Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper and our community, as their expanded jurisdiction signifies a bold step towards more comprehensive water stewardship across Western New York," added Fillmore District Councilman Mitch Nowakowski. "As we celebrate their 35th anniversary, I am proud to stand alongside and support an organization that exemplifies environmental leadership and dedication and I am excited to see the continued progress in preserving our water resources for future generations."

While Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper has been known for its leadership role in restoring the Buffalo River and improving ecosystems in Western New York for the past 35 years, Jedlicka described the top-10 ongoing challenges and the work the organization and the community must prioritize in the years to come:

- Protecting our Great Lakes through building community capacity and implementing coastal resiliency projects;
- Ongoing water quality monitoring for PFAS, emerging contaminants and other threats;
- Advocating for local, state and federal resources for investments in water infrastructure such as sewers, shorelines, and living ecosystems;
- Collecting data and advocating for solutions to eliminate plastic pollution;
- Educating the next generation to become local stewards of our Great Lakes and local waterways;
- Restoring fish and wildlife habitat, open spaces and making greenway connections between our community and natural environment;
- Mitigating the harmful impacts of stormwater and nutrient runoff on our waterways;
- Cleaning up legacy pollution and preventing contamination of our shorelines and waterways;
- Implementing water protection and restoration strategies with municipalities throughout our new jurisdiction watershed;
- Creating equitable access to our waterways for all members of our Western New York community.