The corridor continues to be a growing area of focus and investment for Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper.
Gill Creek is a highly impaired waterway that flows through many neighborhoods and public parks, including Hyde Park. Working with our partners we aim to restore the creek to a safe, healthy, and fun community waterway.
Community Meeting
Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper and our project partners hosted a community meeting on Aug. 13 to explore the proposed shoreline restoration designs for Hyde Park Lake and Gill Creek. Watch the video below to learn how these improvements will enhance water quality, restore habitat, and strengthen the shoreline.
Location
Gill Creek is a tributary to the Niagara River that flows through the Tuscarora Nation, Town of Lewiston, Town of Niagara, and City of Niagara Falls in Niagara County, New York.
Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper has completed, ongoing, and future projects for which grant applications are pending. These include work for living shoreline restoration, riparian buffers, ecosystem restoration, fish passage, plantings and invasive species removal, harmful algal bloom monitoring, and outreach and education for the Gill Creek and Hyde Park community.
Waterkeeper has been awarded $2 million through the New York State Consolidated Funding Application Water Quality Improvement Program (WQIP) to implement a large-scale living shoreline restoration project along Gill Creek in Niagara Falls’ Hyde Park.
Planned improvements through this WQIP project include:
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Stabilization of nearly 3,000 linear feet of shoreline using native vegetation and green infrastructure
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Restoration of approximately seven acres of riparian habitat
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Conversion of mowed lawn and degraded streambanks into resilient natural areas
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Improved informal access for fishing and passive recreation
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Reduced sediment and phosphorus pollution entering Gill Creek and downstream waters
In addition to the environmental benefits, projects like this and others we have completed will translate to a significant positive economic impact on the corridor.
Learn More About Recent Gill Creek Projects
Gill Creek Green Infrastructure Project →
Conceptual Restoration Plan →
Funds Awarded to Improve Gill Creek Shoreline →
Tree Planting
Gill Creek suffers from a history of pollution from industrial sources and storm water runoff. This present pollution made it an eyesore for visitors and a poor habitat for wildlife.
In partnership with the City of Niagara Falls, NY and with funding from the US Forest Service Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper mobilized volunteers to plant over 1,000 trees and shrubs during a three year period along Gill Creek to strengthen the riparian corridor.
This project offered volunteers a direct way to help improve the well-being of their communities and local watershed. Plantings implemented during this project are one step towards restoring the water quality and aesthetic beauty of Gill Creek while also enhancing recreational opportunities.
The planting of native trees and shrubs creates a buffer along the creek’s shoreline. The new trees and shrubs act as a filter to remove some litter and pollutants before they reach the creek. In addition, plant root systems strengthen the shoreline and provide shade to deliver a suitable water temperature for fish populations.
Riparian zones create landscapes that are more biodiverse, healthy, eye-pleasing, and will grow stronger as time goes on. These “riparian zones” can be viewed as a wide strip of native trees, shrubs, and grasses that help improve and protect water quality, create shade to keep water temperature cooler, link valuable wildlife corridors, reduce bank erosion and sedimentation, capture nutrients and pollutants, and support plant and animal diversity.
US Forest Service Great Lakes Restoration Initiative
Funder
City of Niagara Falls
Partner
600
Volunteers Engaged
9
Riparian Planting Locations
1125
Native Trees & Shrubs Planted
26,810
Gallons of Stormwater Captured Annually
