The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Buffalo District awarded a contract on September 30, 2015 in the amount of $315,000 to Ecology and Environment, Inc. (E&E), Lancaster, New York, to study seven locations within the Niagara River Area of Concern (AOC) to assess opportunities for habitat restoration.
Under the contract (E&E) will provide conceptual designs, planning services, and perform data collection in preparation for future feasibility studies at six sites along the shoreline of Grand Island, New York and one site at Hyde Park Lake in Niagara Falls. This work is being performed through the Great Lakes Fishery and Ecosystem Restoration Program.
A multi-agency Habitat Subcommittee of the Niagara River Remedial Advisory Committee identified these as top priority projects based on the ecological significance of the Niagara River coastal wetlands and the importance of the sites as fish nursery habitat and for passage of aquatic species. The products developed under the contract will provide critical information to local decision makers and scientists and result in sound restoration alternatives and recommendations for further action.
Along with USACE Buffalo District, key partners for the study include the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Buffalo Niagara River Keeper, and New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and City of Niagara Falls. The partners have worked together through the Habitat Subcommittee to identify the seven study areas.
The study is funded by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI). In 2010, the Obama Administration created the multi-year, multi-agency initiative to restore the Great Lakes. GLRI funds are administered and distributed through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. For additional information about the GLRI program visit: http://www.lrb.usace.army.mil/Missions/CivilWorks/GreatLakesRestorationInitiative.aspx.
Release no. 15-024