CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. - Work is underway in the Town of Cheektowaga to improve its wastewater system. The town received a $5 million dollar grant from the state and the money will be used to replace and repair damaged pipes and line sanitary sewer pipes. The goal is to reduce untreated sewage in Scajaquada Creek.
Contractors are starting to work in a section of Cheektowaga with the oldest infrastructure. On Thursday, they were working on Alpine Place and Herbert Avenue. The job is to fix the inflow and infiltration system by lining sanitary sewer mainline pipes. Assemblymember Monica Wallace said "all these pipes are clay and they are cracking and the water is able to seep in, so this will, with the plastic prevent that from happening."
Damaged pipes will be repaired or replaced. All of the work being done reduces untreated wastewater discharged into Scajaquada Creek.
"When you have sewage and storm water going into the same pipe, the system can't handle the volume so at some point along the way within the entire system, it can trigger what is called a bypass or an overflow," said Jill Jedlicka, executive director of Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper. "Everybody that owns a home, uses a bathroom, flushes a toilet, washes their dishes, we all contribute to the overflow problem"
Investigative Post Environmental Reporter Dan Telvock has been reporting on the bad conditions at Scajacquada Creek for years. "In the long run, these projects will reduce overflows in the creek, they will not eliminate them." He admits this is a good day and a step in the right direction, although it's not a quick fix. It will take years to complete the entire plan to reduce sewer overflow going into Scajaquada creek which runs through Cheektowaga, Depew and the city of Buffalo.
The Village of Depew also received money.