Restoring the River

The Buffalo River caught fire in 1968—and it wasn’t the first time. Like many urban rivers, the Buffalo River was polluted by the oil refineries, steel mills, and chemical plants that operated along its shores and discharged waste directly into the river. The river was considered dead in the early 1970s.

Kimberley Irvine, professor and chair of the Geography and Planning Department, has a background in hydrology and sewers. He now conducts research into water quality, especially in urban waters.

One such research project assessed 10 sites along the Buffalo River to determine which had the most potential for improvement.

“The quality of the river’s water and its aquatic life—fish and the little critters that live at the bottom—improved dramatically from the 1970s,” said Irvine. “But in the 1990s, progress leveled out.” The research report suggests that “habitat restoration measures” could help the river continue its upswing. Such measures include cleanup and eradicating nonnative plant species, enabling native ecosystems to reestablish themselves.

Irvine worked with Randal Snyder, associate professor and chair of the Biology Department, and researchers from Youngstown State University to evaluate the sites. Students, under the guidance of faculty members, examined fish, evaluated benthic (bottom-dwelling) organisms, noted the presence or absence of vegetation including algae, and observed recreational activities along the river.

 

Helping Mother Nature

From its mouth at Lake Erie upstream about six miles, the Buffalo River has been listed as an “Area of Concern,” or AOC, meaning that severe pollution limits the ways people can safely use the river.

“People fish for their dinner in the Buffalo River,” said Irvine. “The problem is that the fish appear to be unhealthy.” Thirty-seven percent of all fish observed showed abnormalities such as deformities and skin wounds. (In areas not degraded by pollution, only two percent of fish show such signs.)

The benthic organisms have their tale to tell, too. The species in the Buffalo River can tolerate pollution; more sensitive organisms still don’t live there. Worse, the diversity of invertebrate species has declined since the early 1990s, leading researchers to suggest that active remediation may be necessary because Mother Nature alone cannot undo the damage.

Water quality was also evaluated. Within the AOC, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dredges a section of the river designated as a navigable channel. Water in the dredged section showed lower oxygen levels than the undredged section, a bad sign for aquatic species.

Providing Information

“Our role is to provide policymakers with information they need to make intelligent decisions,” Irvine said. “That’s why we used an index approach. We gave each site a number that summed up all the different measures we used.”

Using indices allows scientists to communicate data to a general audience while preserving the integrity of the data. The Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper presented the findings to government agencies.

“That study helped us in our planning for remediation,” said Jill Jedlicka, director of ecological programs for the Riverkeeper. The organization plans to restore aquatic habitat after removing contaminated sediment by putting in material that will give fish and other water-dwelling creatures places to hide and forage. “Buffalo State has been fantastic over the years,” added Jedlicka. “Kim and other professors have helped us so much with technical know-how, personnel, and sheer brain power.”

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