NYPA provides Tuscarora School new water filtration system, ventilators

Robert Creenan, Lockport Union-Sun & Journal, N.Y.
·2 min read

Mar. 28—Since the start of the current school year, the Tuscarora Indian School has operated with new infrastructure courtesy of the New York Power Authority.

The school has a new water filtration system and 11 new electric ventilators with the public entity covering the $934,000 project cost through its environmental justice program, which has customized programs for underserved communities near NYPA facilities.

"We had a filtration system, but it needed to be replaced," said Principal Elizabeth Corieri. "They stepped in when we needed it."

The school, part of the Niagara Wheatfield Central School District, has between 70 and 80 students between pre-kindergarten and sixth grade, the majority living on the Tuscarora Reservation.

The water the school uses, drawn in from a well, goes through a carbon filter system to get rid of smaller particulates, a water softener tank to remove magnesium and calcium, and a reverse osmosis system to remove bacteria, lead and pesticides before finally being stored in 1,000-gallon storage tanks.

The new ventilators are located in the cafeteria, staff room and classrooms. These are entirely electric, using resistance to heat up a coil rather than hot water to heat up air brought in from the outdoors.

Joseph Szabo, the project engineer with the NYPA, said that everything was finished in time for the school year to start and has not encountered any issues yet. The ventilators will provide the school with energy savings of between $4,000 and $5,000 a year.

This effort also had the support of Tuscarora tribal leaders, with Neil Patterson Sr. working to get the NYPA involved with these improvements for at least two and a half years. Former Tuscarora Reservation land is used to hold the Robert Moses Power Plant reservoir, with the Tuscarora Nation receiving payments from the NYPA as part of a relicensing settlement agreement.

"You can't change the past, but you can sure change the future," Patterson said.

As part of this outreach effort, Power Authority representatives came out to teach fifth- and sixth-graders about its organization, how electricity works and environmental advocacy on Wednesday. NYPA President and CEO Justin Driscoll said their environmental justice team plans on partnering with the school further on education and career support programs and workshops for adults.

"The most rewarding things are projects like this, that have an actual concrete benefit to the community," he said.