waterway · Niagara County
Cayuga Creek — Niagara County
Niagara and Niagara Falls
Niagara River tributary that New York lists as impaired for fishing and secondary-contact recreation because of dioxin. Its modern record also includes a 2016 discharge of an estimated 500 gallons of waste oil, PFAS detected in 2022 surface-water sampling upstream and downstream of the Niagara Falls airport, and a major stream-and-floodplain restoration project.
The documented story
What happened here?
This is the 21.6-mile Cayuga Creek in Niagara County, which flows past the Niagara Falls airport area and reaches the Niagara River near Cayuga Island. It is distinct from the Erie County Cayuga Creek that passes through Depew and joins the Buffalo River.
New York's March 2025 waterbody factsheet classifies the entire creek and selected tributaries as an impaired Class C segment. Fishing and secondary-contact recreation are confirmed impaired because of dioxin, a legacy condition that predates the newer PFAS investigation and should not be merged with it.
Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper has combined monitoring with restoration in this corridor. Its June 2022 surface-water study sampled above and below the Niagara Falls airport and found several PFAS compounds, with higher concentrations downstream. That pattern supports further source and pathway investigation, but a two-location comparison cannot establish that every detection came from the airport, the Air Reserve Station, or any single release area.
Chronology in context
Turning points in the public record
1998–present
The state impairment record identifies dioxin as the confirmed cause limiting fishing and secondary-contact recreation.
July 2016
An estimated 500 gallons of waste oil entered through a storm pipe near Niagara Falls Boulevard and Tuscarora Road. Waterkeeper reported the spill, cleanup followed, and contemporary accounts did not identify the dumper.
2018–2022
Land protection and project design led to construction of a new channel through historic floodplain on a roughly 30-acre Town of Niagara restoration property.
June 2022
Waterkeeper collected paired PFAS samples upstream and downstream of the Niagara Falls airport and reported multiple compounds with higher downstream concentrations.
2023–present
Native-plant establishment, invasive-species control, stewardship, and efforts to fund formal public access continue at the restored floodplain.
Atlas classification: environmental detection, agency investigation.
PFAS activity, investigation, or detection is documented in the cited site record. That documentation does not by itself establish off-site exposure or a health effect in any individual.
Compounds and evidence
Detected
Medium: surface-water sampling
Detected
Medium: surface-water sampling
Evidence limit: Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper's June 2022 samples documented PFAS in Cayuga Creek and higher concentrations downstream of the Niagara Falls airport than upstream. The sampling establishes occurrence and a spatial pattern, not sole-source attribution to the airport or Air Reserve Station.
C8 and APFO: PFOA is often called C8. APFO is the ammonium salt of PFOA, but a PFOA environmental result does not identify APFO as the original product or prove where it came from.
News record
Major news events
Coverage selected here marks a turning point in public awareness, policy, enforcement, employment, or cleanup. Links open at the original publisher or archive; WNYAtlas does not reproduce restricted articles or images.
An estimated 500 gallons of waste oil enters the creek through a storm pipe
Kayakers observed oil near Niagara Falls Boulevard and Tuscarora Road, and Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper notified DEC. Officials investigated the source and suspected deliberate dumping; contemporary reporting did not identify a responsible party.
Buffalo Toronto Public Media ↗Waterkeeper sampling finds multiple PFAS compounds downstream of the airport
Paired surface-water sampling found PFAS upstream and downstream of the Niagara Falls airport, with substantially higher downstream results. The comparison flags a migration question but does not by itself assign the creek's PFAS to one facility or release area.
Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper ↗A reconstructed channel reconnects the creek with part of its historic floodplain
Waterkeeper and project partners built a new channel, vernal pools, riffles, and wooded floodplain habitat on a protected Town of Niagara property to reduce flood energy and improve ecological function.
Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper ↗Chemical guide
Chemicals named in this record
These links explain potential hazards and exposure pathways. A chemical named in a record does not establish that anyone was exposed or harmed.
Health context
Why PFAS are a long-term concern
PFAS are a large family of manufactured chemicals. Many are highly persistent, and some can remain in the environment or build up in people and animals over time. Persistence can allow releases to move through groundwater, surface water, waste systems, food, and fish long after the original use has ended.
Human studies have found associations between increased exposure to certain PFAS and higher cholesterol, lower antibody response to some vaccines, changes in liver enzymes, pregnancy-induced hypertension and preeclampsia, small decreases in birth weight, and kidney or testicular cancer for PFOA. Evidence differs by compound, and research continues. A site detection does not show that a particular person was exposed or that PFAS caused an illness.
Environmental record
Documented impacts
- DEC identifies dioxin as the confirmed pollutant impairing fishing and secondary-contact recreation across the assessed segment.
- The 2016 incident placed an estimated 500 gallons of waste oil on the creek through a stormwater pipe. Dry weather and vacuum recovery limited movement, and DEC said at the time that it did not expect long-term water-quality effects.
- Waterkeeper's 2022 screening documented PFAS in surface water, including PFOA and PFOS, and a strong upstream-to-downstream difference near the airport. These screening results are evidence of occurrence, not a complete plume boundary, exposure assessment, or final source allocation.
- Historic channelization, altered floodplain connection, surrounding development, and persistent flooding degraded habitat and helped motivate the restoration project.
Response
Cleanup and controls
- Responders used vacuum equipment to recover oil and affected water after the 2016 spill while DEC investigated the discharge route and source.
- The 2022 restoration shifted flow into a newly constructed channel through historic floodplain and added vernal pools, riffles, root wads, native plantings, and space for flood energy to dissipate.
- Waterkeeper and partners continue vegetation monitoring, invasive-species management, community stewardship, land-protection work, and planning for public trails.
- PFAS source characterization and any permanent response remain separate regulatory questions tied to the Air Force, state, and other source-specific investigations.
Then and now
The site today
Cayuga Creek remains an impaired waterbody as well as an active restoration and monitoring corridor. The dioxin impairment, one-time oil discharge, PFAS screening, airport investigation, and restored floodplain are related by geography but represent different pollutants, evidence levels, responsible-party questions, and response programs.