Lower Great Lakes threatened by toxic waste in N.Y.

The Buffalo News began a three-part series today examining how 800 hazardous waste sites in three counties in Western New York pose a serious threat to the lower Great Lakes, drinking water for millions of people in the U.S. and Canada. A study, conducted by local environmental groups and based on information from state and federal organizations, found potential chemical hazards in Erie, Niagara and Cattaraugus counties, reports Dan Herbeck and T.J. Pignataro. (Above, Greg Evans has lived all his life near the Love Canal Containment Area in Niagara Falls. Buffalo News photo by Charles Lewis.)

The study found the three counties have 174 state or federal Superfund sites (an uncontrolled or abandoned place where hazardous waste is located) and 43 of those have been designated as significant threats to public health, Herbeck and Pignataro. write. Niagara County has more than twice as many hazardous waste sites as comparably sized counties in the state, and Erie County has almost eight times as many brownfield cleanup sites - abandoned or underused properties where there may be environmental contamination. (Read more)