In Buffalo's Delaware Park on Monday, U.S. Senator Charles Schumer said a proposed 30% cut would devastate the Clean Water Act. The Act provides funds for sewer upgrades that are needed to clean up the region's waterways, including Scajaquada Creek. Jill Jedlicka, Buffalo-Niagara Riverkeeper Executive Director, says the problems are not going away on their own.
"Our waterfront reinvestment and all the revitalization that we see happening right now will be undermined and we won't see our region reach its fullest potential if we still have human waste flowing by our waters every time it rains. It does not make sense in a modern society," Jedlicka said.
Schumer, a Brooklyn Democrat, says he is urging federal officials to reject the proposed cut and maintain the highest level of funding for New York's water-sewer repair program.