NIAGARA RIVER WATERSHED MANAGEMENT PLAN (Phase I) Chapter 4: Water Quality More than 1 billion people in Clean water is an essential human need and one whose the world do not have access to value will increase as global climates change. The safe drinking water, yet we are Niagara River Watershed and Lake Erie’s tremendous privileged to have 20 percent water supply supports everything from daily living needs of the world’s accessible fresh (drinking, bathing, cooking) to recreation (swimming, water at our front door. fishing, boating) and local economies (industry, tourism, shipping). Presently, the Great Lakes provide drinking water to 34 million people in the United States and Canada, and support more than 1.5 million U.S. jobs that generate $62 billion in wages1. While certain areas of the watershed have improved considerably since the enactment of the Clean Water Act in 1972 (i.e. Buffalo River), there are a number of areas within the watershed with poor and impacted water quality stemming from various types of pollution, existing storm-water management practices, adverse land uses and development trends, and other stressors that threaten our freshwater resources. Water Classification & Quality Assessment There are several mechanisms by which water quality is evaluated in New York State. One of the primary methods includes classifying water resources based upon their best uses and determining whether or not the water quality is in line with those uses2. For example, a water body used for drinking water has lower thresholds for contaminants or pollutants than a water body used solely for recreation. All waters in New York State are classified into various categories based on their best “beneficial uses” and the state establishes standards by which Water Quality Sampling in Buffalo Creek (BNRK) the resources should be maintained and 1 U.S. EPA Great Lakes Basin Report 2 NYS Water Quality Standards Program (overseen by the US EPA.) Page 4 ‐ 1 NIAGARA RIVER WATERSHED MANAGEMENT PLAN (Phase I) protected (i.e. Anti-degradation policies). Table 4.1 outlines the various Water Quality Classifications for surface and ground waters in New York State. Table 4.1 NYS Water Quality Classifications Class Water Type Best Usages Suitable for the enjoyment of water in its natural condition (most Fresh Surface restrictive) and, where compatible, as drinking water or culinary N Water purposes; bathing; fishing; fish propagation; and recreation. Suitable for fish, shellfish, and wildlife propagation and survival. Suitable for drinking water, culinary or food processing purposes; AA‐Special, Fresh Surface primary and secondary contact recreation; and fishing; fish, shellfish, and A‐Special, Water wildlife propagation and survival (A‐Special: International Boundary AA & A Waters, AA & A: drinking water with disinfection/treatment). Fresh Surface Suitable for primary and secondary contact recreation and fishing; B Water suitable for fish, shellfish, and wildlife propagation and survival. Suitable for fish, shellfish, and wildlife propagation and survival; primary Fresh Surface C and secondary contact recreation, although other factors may limit the Water use for these purposes. Due to such natural conditions as intermittency of flow, water conditions not conducive to propagation of game fishery, or stream bed conditions, Fresh Surface the waters will not support fish propagation. These waters shall be D Water suitable for fish, shellfish, and wildlife survival. The water quality shall be suitable for primary and secondary contact recreation, although other factors may limit the use for these purposes. Fresh As a source of potable water supply (all fresh groundwater resources are GA Groundwater classified GA). Note: Saline Water Resource Classifications are not included in this table. Source: NYS DEC 6 NYCRR Part 701 Use classifications are applied according to water bodies or water course segments. For the Niagara River Watershed there are a total of 2,963 segments provided, with 726 designated as Class A, 872 designated as Class B, 1,351designated as Class C, and 14 designated as Class D. The State’s Water Quality Classifications Map is provided on the following page and identifies each segment’s classification as well as segments designated as trout and trout spawning waters. NYS Waterbody Inventory & Priority Waterbodies List New York State’s Waterbody Inventory and Priority Waterbodies List (WI/PWL) is an inventory of the state’s surface waters (Figure 4.1). This data set provides a summary of general water quality conditions, tracks the degree to which a waterbody supports its designated uses, and monitors Page 4 ‐ 2 W I L S O N R I D G E W A Y M U R R A Y O L A K E R ALBION O N T A R I O L R I D G E W A Y H A R T L A N D E YOUNGSTOWN N E W F A N E P O R T E R A W I L S O N N HOLLEY A L B I O N Niagara River Water shed S Niagara River Water shed MEDINA C O Management Plan MIDDLEPORT O N C I L O C K P O R T A E G C L A R E N D O N O A R L E W I S T O N R N A S H E L B Y B A R R E STATE WATER QUALITY O C A M B R I A R O Y A L T O N C M O LEWISTON CLASSIFICATIONS TUSCARORA L O C K P O R T INDIAN RESERVATION O R L E A N S C O G E N E S E E C O Stream Class N I A G A R A A B C(T) A(T) B(T) C(TS) P E N D L E T O N E L B A B Y R O N O A K F I E L D N I A G A R A W H E A T F I E L D A L A B A M A F A L L S ELBA A(TS) C D TONAWANDA INDIAN RESERVATION OAKFIELD N IA G A R A C O E R IE C O E County R I Sub-Basin Boundary E N O R T H N E W S T E A D C Municipality T O N A W A N D A G O E A M H E R S T C L A R E N C E N AKRON E 5 2.5 0 5 G R A N D S B A T A V I A I S L A N D E B A T A V I A T O N A W A N D A E S T A F F O R D Miles C O 5 2.5 0 5 P E M B R O K E LE ROY Kilometers T O N A W A N D A CORFU KENMORE WILLIAMSVILLE O N T A R I O Sub-Basins of the Niagara River Watershed C A N A D A A L D E N L A N C A S T E R B E T H A N Y A L E X A N D E R LOWER MIDDLE DEPEW D A R I E N P A V I L I O N NIAGARA TONAWANDA TONAWANDA RIVER CREEK CREEK ALEXANDER ALDEN SLOAN LANCASTER B U F F A L O ELLICOTT MURDER E S E E C O C H E E K T O W A G A G E N CREEK CREEK M IN G C O ATTICA W Y O UPPER CAYUGA TONAWANDA CREEK CREEK W E S T M I D D L E B U R Y E WYOMING SMOKE(S) S E N E C A B E N N I N G T O N A T T I C A M A R I L L A R CREEK I E L M A E BUFFALO L A C K A W A N N A C CREEK O EIGHTEENMILE CREEK BUFFALO RIVER BLASDELL W ORCHARD EAST Y PARK AURORA O M WARSAW I This data set provides the water quality classifications H A M B U R G N O R A N G E V I L L E G S H E L D O N of New York State water bodies. A U R O R A W A L E S L A K E E R I E C TPEhReR Yclassification AA or A is assigned to waters used as a source O W A R S A W of drinking water. O R C H A R D HAMBURG Classification B indicates a best usage for swimming P A R K and other contact recreation, but not for drinking water. Classification C is for waters supporting fisheries and suitable for non - contact activities. G A I N E S V I L L E The lowest classification and standard is D. SILVER Waters with classifications A, B, and C may also have a SPRINGS standard of (T), indicating that it may support a trout population, or (TS), indicating that it may support trout spawning (TS). J A V A Special requirements apply to sustain these waters H O L L A N D GAINESVILLE E V A N S E D E N B O S T O N C O L D E N W E T H E R S F I E L D CASTILE that support these valuable and sensitive fisheries resources.