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New York / Waters /

Niagara River

River in New York, past Buffalo, Grand Island, Niagara Falls, North Tonawanda, Tonawanda and Wheatfield

Current status

No current status shown

No current status is assigned to this water outline. Check the water page for reports and any estimated downstream stretches. Why this status, and its source

This badge describes the water outline. Check the downstream stretches on the map and below for discharge statuses.

Map sources: water outlines and launches from OpenBoatLaunch and OpenStreetMap contributors (Open Database License); wastewater outlets from EPA and state records; downstream estimates by DirtyWaterWatch using U.S. Geological Survey maps and flow data. Base map: OpenFreeMap and OpenMapTiles.

Dashed river stretches are estimates.

Get alerts from Town of Grand Island SD #2 WWTP · Bookmark this water page and check it before each trip · Report a missing notice or error

About this status

No current status shown: no report we track sets a status on this water now; how statuses work

Sources checked: DEC SPRTK workbook 'SPRTK_Data.xlsx' and older 'Sewage_Discharge_Reports.xlsx' (2013-2020) (last successful check 2026-11-03 11:05 UTC). Status by DirtyWaterWatch, updated 2026-11-03 11:12 UTC. · Updated

Estimated downstream stretches on Niagara River

No downstream stretch has a current status here as of Nov 3, 2026, 6:12 AM EST. Check the reports below.

Estimated routes below wastewater outlets

Source: DirtyWaterWatch estimates using U.S. Geological Survey river maps and flow measurements. The estimate stops at tidal water, the first lake or the distance limit.

The last 90 days

Last 90 days, hour by hour. Red: discharge or advisory reported. Amber: caution. Hatched amber: end not confirmed. Grey: no current status on the water outline. Purple hatching: source update overdue.
  • End not confirmed: to
    1 report: Town of Grand Island SD #2 WWTP 1
    Show records

    The records are also in the report table on this page.

  • Discharge or advisory reported: to
    1 report: Town of Grand Island SD #2 WWTP 1
    Show records

    The records are also in the report table on this page.

  • Caution: to
    1 report: Town of Grand Island SD #2 WWTP 1
    Show records

    The records are also in the report table on this page.

  • Discharge or advisory reported: to
    1 report: Town of Grand Island SD #2 WWTP 1
    Show records

    The records are also in the report table on this page.

  • Caution: to
    4 reports: Tonawanda 2, City of North Tonawanda 1, Town of Grand Island SD #2 WWTP 1
    Show records

    The records are also in the report table on this page.

Source: DirtyWaterWatch calculations using the reports named above and the published status rules. Updated 2026-11-03 11:12 UTC.

Reported discharges over time

  • Discharges affecting the Niagara River in New York, last 12 months6262 affecting this stretch: 62 reported in New York, none arriving from upstreamDecember 2025 to November 2026Verified reports where available, else notices; revisions and duplicates counted once. Arriving discharges are estimated from modeled downstream reaches.
  • Days with a discharge affecting the Niagara River in New York, last 12 months54Reported on the Niagara River in New York: 54 · Arriving from outfalls upstream in New York, estimated: 0December 2025 to November 2026A day counts once however many discharges were under way on it. Verified reports where available, else notices; revisions and duplicates counted once.
  • Hours with a discharge or advisory status on the Niagara River in New York, last 12 months1,324Reported on the Niagara River in New York: 1,324 · Arriving from outfalls upstream in New York, estimated: 0December 2025 to November 2026Red hours by the map's rules: each discharge to its reported end plus the state's post-discharge period; overlapping hours count once.
  • 2026 season with a discharge or advisory status on the Niagara River in New York9.3%May to October 2026Share of May 1 to October 31 hours with red status by the map's rules, of the hours a source covered.
  • Records behind the last-90-days strip for the Niagara River in New York6Reported on the Niagara River in New York: 6 · Arriving from outfalls upstream in New York, estimated: 0last 90 daysEvery distinct record the strip lists for its red, yellow and unresolved hours, notices and unresolved reports included; counted as the strip counts them.

Combined sewer overflow (CSO): sewage mixed with rainwater spills from a shared sewer system. Sanitary sewer overflow (SSO): sewage spills from a sewer meant to carry sewage separately from rainwater. Treatment bypass: wastewater skips one or more treatment steps. Blended discharge: wastewater that skipped some treatment is mixed with treated wastewater. Outfall: a pipe or outlet where wastewater enters a water body.

Reported discharges per month

64 reported discharges, January 2022 to November 2026.

  • Combined sewer overflow
  • Sanitary sewer overflow
  • Treatment bypass, blended or other

Source: ny-dec-sprtk. Records cover January 1, 2022 to November 3, 2026.

Show table

Hours with a discharge or advisory status per month

Hours when this water had a discharge or advisory status under DirtyWaterWatch rules.

  • Discharge or advisory reported

3 discharge reports have no end time and are not marked ongoing; under DirtyWaterWatch rules they show caution, not a discharge or advisory status, and add no hours here.

Source: ny-dec-sprtk. Records cover August 11, 2021 to November 3, 2026.

Show table

Days with a reported discharge per month

A day counts when any counted discharge was under way on it, from its start to its reported end in Eastern Time; a report with no end counts its start day.

Source: ny-dec-sprtk. Records cover January 1, 2022 to November 3, 2026.

Show table

Reported discharges per year, 2021 to 2026

65 reported discharges, 2021 to 2026.

  • Combined sewer overflow
  • Sanitary sewer overflow
  • Treatment bypass, blended or other
  • Incomplete source coverage
Limited records

Source: ny-dec-sprtk. Records cover August 11, 2021 to November 3, 2026.

Show table

Reported volume per year

Gallons (axis: K thousand, M million), summed from the 63 reports that gave a volume as a number (2 did not).

  • Incomplete source coverage
Limited records

2 of 65 discharge reports gave no volume as a number; only numbers are summed.

Source: ny-dec-sprtk. Records cover August 11, 2021 to November 3, 2026.

Show table

Hours with a discharge or advisory status per year

Hours with a discharge or advisory status each year under DirtyWaterWatch rules; 2026 to date.

  • Discharge or advisory reported
  • Incomplete source coverage
Limited records

3 discharge reports have no end time and are not marked ongoing; under DirtyWaterWatch rules they show caution, not a discharge or advisory status, and add no hours here.

Source: ny-dec-sprtk. Records cover August 11, 2021 to November 3, 2026.

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Share of the May to October season with a discharge or advisory status

Share of the hours from May 1 to October 31 with a discharge or advisory status under DirtyWaterWatch rules.

  • Discharge or advisory reported
  • Season with incomplete source coverage

Seasons with incomplete source coverage: 2021. The share is of the hours a source covered. 3 discharge reports have no end time and are not marked ongoing; under DirtyWaterWatch rules they show caution, not a discharge or advisory status, and add no hours here.

Source: ny-dec-sprtk. Records cover August 11, 2021 to November 3, 2026.

Show table

Reported discharges by calendar month, all years

Every counted discharge report, by the calendar month it began.

Months are summed over every year a tracked source covers; the table gives the number of years behind each month.

Source: ny-dec-sprtk. Records cover August 11, 2021 to November 3, 2026.

Show table

Reported discharges by wastewater outlet

Wastewater outlets with the most tracked discharge records: 10 of 13, all years. Counts depend on reporting coverage and do not measure legal compliance or harm.

Source: ny-dec-sprtk. Records cover August 11, 2021 to November 3, 2026.

Show table
How these charts are counted

We count each discharge once. Where a source publishes notices and confirmed reports, we use confirmed reports for an operator's month when available; otherwise we use notices. We combine revisions and exclude duplicate state reports copied by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Monthly and yearly totals appear separately. Status hours follow this site's rules. Shaded gaps mean missing coverage, not zero discharges.

  • ny-dec-sprtk: records from August 11, 2021 to the latest update

Reports linked to Niagara River

Sanitary sewer overflow (SSO): sewage spills from a sewer meant to carry sewage separately from rainwater. Combined sewer overflow (CSO): sewage mixed with rainwater spills from a shared sewer system. Treatment bypass: wastewater skips one or more treatment steps.

Reports linked to Niagara River, newest first
WhenReportStatus
Grand Island · 003 outfall 003 · SSO · 60,000 gallons report · notice · mapongoing
to Aug 20, 9:30 AMGrand Island · 003 Station 08 bypass, outfall 003 · SSO · 64,048 gallons in all mapended
to Aug 3, 2:45 AMNorth Tonawanda · Orf · CSO · 7.3 million gallons in all mapended
to Aug 3, 1:00 AMTonawanda · pump station · SSO · 40,000 gallons report · notice · mapended
to Aug 3, 2:00 AMTonawanda · manhole pump · SSO · 70,000 gallons report · notice · mapended
to Aug 3, 2:36 PMGrand Island · 003 St 8 bypass, outfall 003 · SSO · 101,953 gallons in all mapended
to 10:15 PMNorth Tonawanda · Orf · CSO · 10.12 million gallons in all mapended
to 9:00 PMTonawanda · Pump station · SSO · 40,000 gallons report · notice · mapended
to Jul 22, 4:39 PMGrand Island · 003 station 08 bypass, outfall 003 · SSO · 144,063 gallons in all mapended
to 2:45 PMTonawanda · SSO No. 017 · SSO · 1,348 gallons report · notice · mapended
to Jun 23, 1:30 PMGrand Island · Air bleeder valve for the force main exiting Pump Station 08. · SSO · 1,000 gallons in all mapended
to Jun 23, 12:00 AMBuffalo Sewer Authority -Bird Island · Permitted outfall · Bypass · 0 gallons report · notice · mapended
to 8:00 PMTonawanda · SSO · 25,000 gallons report · notice · mapended
to Jun 15, 3:40 PMGrand Island · 003 station 8 bypass, outfall 003 · SSO · 94,876 gallons in all mapended
to 2:50 PMTonawanda · SSO No. 018 · SSO · 20 gallons report · notice · mapended
to 1:15 PMTonawanda · SSO No. 017 · SSO · 613 gallons report · notice · mapended
to 4:15 AMTonawanda · SSO No. 017 · SSO · 935 gallons report · notice · mapended
to 9:50 PMTonawanda · SSO No. 018 · SSO · 831 gallons report · notice · mapended

Sources: DEC SPRTK workbook 'SPRTK_Data.xlsx' and older 'Sewage_Discharge_Reports.xlsx' (2013-2020), retrieved 2026-11-02 20:40 UTC. A report's record id and times show when you hover or focus its "report" link.

Download these reports as CSV

Showing the latest 25 records of 92 records.See them all with filters.

All reports in New York by year: 2026 (86 here) · 2025 (6 here)

Wastewater outlets on this water

Outfall: a pipe or outlet where wastewater enters a water body.

No wastewater outlet in our records is linked to this water.

Sewer operators listed for this water: Town of Grand Island SD #2 WWTP, City of North Tonawanda, Tonawanda (C) Sanitary Sewers, Buffalo Sewer Authority (BSA) Bird Island WWTP, Niagara Falls Water Board.

Boat launches

No public boat launch is listed in our records for this water.

Nearby waters

Sources covering this water

92 records linked to this water. Updated .