With funding from the EPA’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Buffalo District, will build a 700-foot-long fish passage at the City of Buffalo’s Freedom Park on Unity Island. The emerald shiner is a small, but critical prey fish at the base of the food web in the Niagara River and Lake Erie. The high velocity of the Niagara River along the current seawall creates a barrier that the emerald shiners cannot pass to reach Lake Erie. Once the project is complete, the emerald shiner will be able to move upstream after spawning, providing a critical food source for larger fish and wildlife, offering sustenance for the local community, and contributing to goals for delisting the Niagara River as an EPA Area of Concern (AOC). The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is the Niagara River AOC Remedial Action Plan Coordinator and with input from agencies and local partners, selected this project as a management action for the Loss of Fish and Wildlife Habitat Beneficial Use Impairment (BUI).
To reduce the river velocity along the seawall, a contractor will install steel plates, or metal baffles, within two feet above and below the typical waterline. In 2022, a demonstration project testing the effectiveness of this approach included the installation of the metal baffles along the most downstream 78 feet of seawall. Following installation, the USACE monitored the metal baffles for stability, reduction of water velocity, and to ensure the emerald shiner could pass. The demonstration project was deemed a success and lessons learned were incorporated into the design for the remaining portion of seawall.
The USACE Buffalo District recently awarded an $11.8M contract to complete construction of the remainder of the project, which will include repairs where necessary along the remaining 700 feet of seawall and the installation of the metal baffles. Construction is scheduled to begin late winter 2024 and be completed by December 2026. This will include both landside and in water work along the seawall. The improvements of passage for the emerald shiners will help to restore fish communities and contribute to removal of the Fish and Wildlife Habitat BUI.
To read the full announcement, please visit USACE Buffalo District.