Genesee River - Rochester, NY area 

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Consider the environmental importance of the Genesee River, which runs through the city of Rochester, NY    

 

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Why the Genesee River is an important component of our area's environment:

 


The Genesee River near Lower Falls. Photo by Frank J. Regan.

The Genesee River, which runs through the city of Rochester and dissects there with the Erie Canal, also has its unique ecology and a history of contamination from industry and agricultural run-off. 

There are many environmental issues relating to this river that people still use to canoe, boat, swim on. It even harbors large vessels as the Genesee River meets Lake Ontario. 

Cleaning up the Genesee from centuries of use as a transportation route and drainage for industry should be instrumental before developers begin yet another millennia of use, this time for tourism.

Get the news links and all the resources for this topic. 

(Above scripts from Dynamic Drive)

Genesee River Discussions:

Rochester area discussions on the environmental health of our major river.

  • Is the Genesee River healthy? Back in the 1990’s this story appeared about our Genesee River: “Genesee River ranks "second among U.S. rivers that had cancer-causing chemicals dumped into them during a recent five-year period"--Rochester Digital Edition” What interesting is that in the subsequent years, no investigative reporting that I know of has done on an in-depth report on the health of the Genesee River?  Rarely is there even an article in any local news about the Genesee River.  So, what does it mean that the Genesee River does not appear the ‘worst’ rivers list in American Rivers (www.americanrivers.org)?  It does not mean that American Rivers or any other environmental group has come to the Genesee River and conducted a full environmental study.  What it does mean that no one has conducted a thorough environmental study on the Genesee River and sent that in to American Rivers.  My point: The Genesee River could be very polluted, maybe one of the most ‘toxic’ polluted rivers in the US.  Who, without doing a compressive study, would know?  The Genesee River was used as a chemical toilet for decades and few I suspect are drinking the water near our (the Rochester region) end of the river.  Without a full testing of all our rivers, we cannot possibly believe that the Genesee River does not belong on anyone’s worst or most polluted list.  One New York river lands on American Rivers Most Endangered List | 520 - An Environmental Blog | Rochester Democrat and Chronicle The Genesee River is not on the American Rivers list of America’s Most Endangered Rivers list, which was released early this morning. But the river that tops the list, the Susquehanna River, stretches into New York. (May 17, 2011) 520 - An Environmental Blog | Rochester Democrat and Chronicle [more on the Genesee River in our area]
  • 12/06/2010 - The Genesee River, how often do we check its health?  Just came across this good article on the state of the Genesee River’s health—from July of 2009.  It was a good find.  Most articles these days on the Genesee River are about how to develop it and make it attractive.  However, the actual health of our main river should be our focus not merely on its aesthetics.  Our river, like most bodies of water in our area (and most other areas in our country) has been the end point of drainage systems for industry, farm run-off, and more.  We should not just assume that the rivers can recover from these assaults naturally, as the stuff often dumped into them was manmade and nothing the rivers ever had to deal with them before.  So, our attention should be constantly on the health of our Genesee River, not just for tourist dollars and floating our boats, but because life lives in rivers and is a part of our region’s ecology.  River's water slowly reviving | democratandchronicle.com | Democrat and Chronicle The Genesee River flows through a dramatic progression of settings on its 160-mile course — forested hills, plains rich with farms, small villages, a large city, and deep gorges featuring spectacular waterfalls and a huge flood-control dam. (July 19, 2009) Democratandchronicle.com | Democrat and Chronicle | Rochester news, community, entertainment, yellow pages and classifieds. Serving Rochester, New York 
  • Genesee River – gauging success Using the Genesee River as a backdrop, New York State Environmental Conservation Commissioner (NYSDEC) Pete Grannis recently celebrated the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. Grannis listed many of the accomplishment of the Genesee River clean up (see State Environmental Commissioner Celebrates Progress along the Genesee River - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation): more...
  • Care about the Genesee River ? The Genesee River Wilds Project is a coalition of groups and individuals who invest time, energy, funding, and other resources in the development of an environmentally sustainable system of natural parks concentrated along the Genesee River in the “Genesee River Wilds more...
  • News on the Genesee River at Rochester, NY What is becoming clear with this article [There's something fishy in the Genesee - again]and several others, Rochester City Newspaper is now the most important environmental newspaper in our area. Every other media in our area has dropped the ball on the most important issue of the day—the state of our environment. more...

Genesee River NewsLinks

Though our major river through Rochester doesn't get much media attention, sometimes it does.  I've been following these stories for ten years and this is all I have on the Genesee River.

2011

2010

2009

Swan and cygnet in Genesee River at the Port of Rochester

2007

  • Undredged river caused shallow Port - A survey of the Genesee River at the Port of Rochester this week found water depths have lessened as much as three feet in the past year, making the waterway more shallow. The U.S. Corps of Engineers survey, released today, found the outer channel between the river piers is among the most affected by sediment build up, or shoaling. Last month, the Stephen B. Roman, a cement boat and the only freighter still operating on the river, ran aground as it attempted to traverse the river. (April 4, 07) Democrat & Chronicle
  • Genesee River Dredging Funds Cut - 13WHAM.com - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will not dredge the Genesee River as planned this summer, because of federal budget cuts. The $920,000 funding cut came as a surprise to local officials and Charlotte residents, who did not learn of it until a major cargo ship got stuck in the mouth of the river last Thursday.  - (March 29, 2007) Home - 13WHAM.com
  • Silt levels of Genesee surveyed next week - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers doesn't expect to get a survey crew out on the Genesee River to measure the extent of shoaling at least until Monday. (March 29,07) Democrat & Chronicle

2006

  • Progress made in lakes cleanup - Oswego River off problem list, but Genesee remains— The Oswego River was officially removed from a binational list of the Great Lakes' most polluted tributaries Tuesday — the first American site to mark such a milestone. Meanwhile, the Genesee River, which appears on the same list of 43 polluted sites, needs several more years of effort before it can be considered healthy. (July 26, 2006) Democrat and Chronicle
  • SPRING CLEANING - Paul Noto knows all about big cleaning jobs. He's the operations manager for the city's environmental-services department. And this week, his department begins working on one of its more unusual assignments: cleaning the Genesee River. Each spring, environmental workers begin removing debris that collects in what the department calls "the river pool" --- the stretch of water from the Court Street dam north to the HighFalls. The debris consists mostly of trees and brush, drawn into the water by erosion from melting ice and strong currents along the river banks from as far south as the Mount Morris Dam. But there's more interesting stuff, too. (March 15, 2006) City Newspaper

2004

  •  Democrat & Chronicle: Genesee river current has a new spark — The Genesee River once drove the Rochester economy by powering flour mills. Now city officials want it to power a new emerging industry — fuel cell technology. The city has applied for a New York State Energy Research and Development Authority grant to study the feasibility of using the river and the 96-foot-high waterfalls downtown as a hydrogen source to power fuel cells. (April 11, 2004) Democrat and Chronicle

2003

  •  DEC Teaches Judges About Gorge - Few realize you'd have to go to Alaska to find the sort of unique fishing environment the Genesee River gorge offers. Its urban setting also make it a place for problems, not just fishing and gaming problems, but those involving alcohol and drugs. The DEC provided a guided tour of the gorge to five Rochester City Court judges Tuesday. (July 30, 2003) R News: Your NewsChannel

2002

2001

  • Federal funds to ease Great Lakes pollution The Genesee River and other waterways that feed into Lake Ontario could benefit from a federal bill that adds $250 million over the next five years for the prevention of Great Lakes pollution. (July 12, 2001) --DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE
  • Sunken Tugboat Leaking Fuel  The Department of Environmental Conservation is cleaning up an oily mess on the Genesee River, left behind when a tugboat sank.  (January 16, 2001) RNews. 
  • Grounded Tugboat Leaks Oil Into The Genesee Rochester, NY - Crews worked to clean up a small fuel oil leak from a grounded tugboat in the Genesee River near Charlotte on Monday. New York State Department of Environmental Conservation officials said the boat released about 200 gallons of oil into the river, but said the environmental impact of the spill will be minimal. DEC officials also said investigators had been working to determine the source of the spill for about a week. 
    (January 15, 2001) RochesterToday
  • Oil Spill Clean Up Continues The clean up of the oil spill in the Genesee River continues Monday. A sunken tug boat had been leaking fuel oil into the Genesee River, which can be seen over a two mile stretch. (January 15, 2001) WHEC

2000

1999

 


The Genesee River and the Lower Falls. Photo by Frank J. Regan.
Magnificent Lower Falls on the Genesee River.







 

(Above scripts from Dynamic Drive)

 

Genesee River Resources

Genesee River Resources on the Internet

  • Genesee River Wilds Project "The Genesee River Wilds Project is a coalition of groups and individuals who invest time, energy, funding, and other resources in the development of an environmentally sustainable system of natural parks concentrated along the Genesee River in the “Genesee River Wilds.”  This phrase refers to the Genesee River and its watershed from the river’s sources in Potter County, Pennsylvania, to the southern boundary of Letchworth State Park in New York State.  The Genesee River Wilds Project represents and partners with federal, state, county, municipal, and non-profit organizations; business corporations; educational institutions; landowners; farmers; anglers; hunters; hikers; mountain bikers; kayak and canoe enthusiasts; and many others who participate in various official and unofficial ways.  The coalition works to improve the health of the upper Genesee River and its watershed; protect them from future environmental threats; and enhance their recreational potential. "
  • Genesee River Watershed - NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation A brief overview of this watershed and its water quality
  • River Network - Home Page: River Network River Network's mission is to help people organize to protect and restore rivers and watersheds.
  • American Rivers: Celebrating 25 years of bringing rivers to life, American Rivers is North America's leading national river-conservation organization. Our mission is to
    protect and restore America's river systems and to foster a river stewardship ethic.
  • The World’s Water: a site dedicated to providing up-to-date water resources information and data, and connections to organizations, institutions, and individuals working on a wide range of global freshwater problems and solutions.
  • Genesee River - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Genesee River is a North American river flowing northward through the Twin Tiers of Pennsylvania and New York. Falls along the river are within the gorge of Letchworth State Park and within the city of Rochester. The Mount Morris Dam built in 1952 is the largest flood control dam east of the Mississippi River; its capacity was only exceeded in 1972 during Hurricane Agnes. The river provided the original power for the Rochester area, and 19th century mills along the river made Rochester one of the leading producers of flour in North America, earning the city one of its nicknames "Flour City".[3] The river still provides hydroelectric power for downtown Rochester to this day.