Springville Dam project to be put on hold

BUFFALO, NY, UNITED STATES

06.05.2020

Story by Andrew Kornacki 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District

Buffalo, NY – The Springville Dam Ecosystem Restoration partnership has decided to put the project on hold due to impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Springville Dam Ecosystem Restoration team was concluding preconstruction engineering and design plans, working through real estate, and budget needs when the pandemic hit Western New York putting a strain on limited resources. At this time, the project team’s resources and focus have shifted to overcoming the impacts of COVID-19.
"While the Springville Dam project is a wise investment that will revitalize Cattaraugus Creek, budgets and resources are now strained by the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing response to it. It is sensible to pause the project for the time being and Erie County remains committed to working with our partners on the dam project in the future," said Mark Poloncarz, Erie County Executive.

“Everyone wants this project to be completed and we will get back to it as soon as we are able. This is a good project that will benefit Cattaraugus Creek by allowing fish communities access to the upper watershed, while preventing that access to invasive species, resulting in a richer ecosystem,” said Geoffrey Hintz, USACE Buffalo District Project Manager. “The Corps of Engineers is stopping the project in a manner where it can be picked back up and executed at a later time.”

Project partners include the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Erie County, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and is being executed under the Corps of Engineers’ Great Lakes Fishery Ecosystem Restoration program.

More information on the GLFER program can be found here: https://www.lrd.usace.army.mil/Home/GLFER/

• Date Taken: 06.05.2020
• Date Posted: 06.05.2020 10:37
• Story ID: 371522
• Location: BUFFALO, NY, US