Niagara County By Emily LaPlante

Niagara County is located in western New York.

Background 522 square miles Largest City: Niagara Falls Flat terrain Lots of agricultural use of land Borders Lake Ontario and Niagara River Close to Buffalo, New York

Watershed Part of the Lake Ontario Tributaries and the Niagara River/Lake Erie tributaries In the Lake Ontario Tributaries: 25% poor water quality 40% good water quality In the Niagara River/ Lake Erie: 12% poor water quality 49% good water quality.

Air Quality In 2012 there were zero unhealthy air days for the general population There were 6 unhealthy air days for people with asthma Since 2003 the air quality of Niagara County has improved greatly

Energy Energy positive county Mostly powered by hydroelectric power, Nuclear power and Gas. Niagara County has largest hydroelectric plant in New York State Also has one of the last coal powered plants in the state

Lead Poisoning in Niagara County 1.2% lead levels in children Niagara County’s lead poisoning issues come from old house paint Niagara County Lead Poisoning Prevention Program

Soil Flat county No mountain ranges Heavy soils Large farming industry

Superfund Sites Superfund Sites in Niagara County: Forest Glen Mobile Home Subdivision and Eighteen Mile Creek Forest Glen Mobile Home Subdivision: Started in Completed in 2003 Eighteen Mile Creek: Current

Contamination Contamination of Soil, Air and Water Eighteen Mile Creek Superfund Site In 2012, 3,213,114 metric tons of CO2 emissions were produced in Niagara County Love Canal

William T. Love proposes plan to create model city Stopped building of canal, leaving a large ditch Site is turned into a chemical dumpsite Hooker Chemical Company sells land to city for 1$ Houses and a School are built Large amount of rainfall triggers explosion