The Niagara River is a binational AOC that includes the entire Niagara River, which on the U.S. side is in Erie and Niagara Counties in Western New York. At the beginning of the 20th century, the cities of Buffalo, Tonawanda and Niagara Falls received significant expansions in steel and chemical manufacturing, as well as grain milling, along the shoreline of the Niagara River. This was due to the availability of open land, electricity from Niagara Falls, and cooling water from the river. Steel, petrochemical, and chemical manufacturing industries flourished along the Niagara River into the late 1970s. Subsequently, they declined, leaving behind a legacy of contamination.
Industrial and municipal discharges degraded water quality and contaminated sediment, while physical changes destroyed large amounts of habitat in the upper river. The survival of aquatic life in the AOC has been impaired by chemicals such as PCBs, dioxins and furans, PAHs and pesticides.
Six federal National Priority List (NPL) sites, other hazardous waste sites, urban development, and contaminated discharges from Lake Erie’s watershed have all been sources of pollution to the area and led to its designation as an AOC. In addition to Great Lakes Restoration Initiative efforts, the federal and state governments and responsible parties have collectively spent hundreds of millions to remediate hazardous waste sites.
Remedial Action Plan Documents
Niagara River Stage I/II Remedial Action Plan
Niagara River Remedial Action Plan Stage 2 Addendum
Niagara River AOC Habitat Restoration Plan Addendum 2019
Beneficial Use Impairments (BUIs) and Removal Reports
- Restrictions on Fish and Wildlife Consumption
- Fish Tumors or Other Deformities - Removed 2016
- Degradation of Benthos
- Restrictions on Dredging Activities
- Loss of Fish and Wildlife Habitat
- Degradation of Fish and Wildlife Populations
- Bird or Animal Deformities or Reproduction Problems
