Environmental Remediation and Information

Environmental Remediation Databases

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) oversees various remediation programs  and environmental regulations. The NYSDEC maintains records for its cleanup site and spill data in a searchable format which includes the Spill Incidents Database Search, Remedial Site Database Search and Bulk Storage Database Search.

Certain sites remediated under the state's remedial programs are subject to an environmental easement. To protect public health and the environment, environmental easements can be used to restrict the use of a property to specified categories (e.g., commercial, industrial) or to require the site management of engineering controls (e.g., a landfill cover system). The property owners must periodically certify to the NYSDEC that the restrictions and requirements included in the easement remain in-place and effective. Recorded environmental easements for remediated sites can be found here.

NYSDEC Region 9 Projects & Brownfield Cleanup Program

NYSDEC's Division of Environmental Remediation in Region 9 is responsible for investigating and cleaning up sites throughout Western New York that were contaminated from past industrial activities. These sites that were once economic engines for the region now contribute to environmental degradation, urban decay, decreased tax revenue, and population loss. These programs are transforming these sites, paving the way for restored ecological habitat, waterfront development, clean energy, new jobs, recreational opportunities, and enhanced appreciation of the environment. Information on past and ongoing remediation projects in NYSDEC Region 9 can be reviewed here.

Information on the Brownfield Cleanup Program and other Environmental Remediation programs can be found here. Remediation Guidance and Policy Documents are available here.

City Environmental Data

Most environmental data is on file with the NYSDEC, although certain departments at the City of Buffalo maintain additional records. The Buffalo Fire Department maintains records on bulk storage tanks and chemical spill responses, while the Department of Permits and Inspections maintains records of building permits and properties with code violations.