Buffalo does not operate a purple-pipe recycled water system. Wastewater is treated at the Bird Island Plant and discharged to the Niagara River under SPDES permit; there is no nonpotable reuse network.
Recycled water systems delivering treated effluent for irrigation, cooling, or industrial use are common in arid regions but not in Western New York. Buffalo Sewer Authority operates the Bird Island Wastewater Treatment Plant on Squaw Island, which discharges treated effluent to the Niagara River under a State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit. There is no city-built purple-pipe distribution network, and large industrial customers source nonpotable cooling water directly from Lake Erie or the Niagara River through their own intakes under DEC permits, not through a city reuse network.
No recycled-water tariff or program penalties exist. Industrial direct-withdrawal permits are enforced by NY DEC under ECL, not Buffalo code.
See how Buffalo's recycled water rules rules stack up against other locations.
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