CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. -- Upgrades to the sewer system under Alpine Place in Cheektowaga have begun; fixing a problem put on the back burner for years. The upgrade is happening thanks to $5 million from the state.

"This is helping to deal with an age-old generational problem that is going to take continued resources, but the $5 million that we're allocating today on top of the $5 million that has already been received in the last year, plus the $15 million low-interest loan from the state is going to go a long way to help improving this in a systematic way," said state Sen. Tim Kennedy, D-Buffalo.

The project involves repairing and replacing damaged and defective pipes throughout the town, ultimately reducing the amount of untreated wastewater that ends up in Scajaquada Creek.  

"Ultimately what happens is when you have sewage and stormwater going into the same pipe, the system can't handle the volume so at some point along the way, within the entire system it, can trigger what's called a bypass, or an overflow so, untreated or minimally treated sewage and stormwater combined gets discharged into our local waterways and creeks," said Jill Jedlicka, Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper.

The overall cost of the project is estimated at about $50 million, and Kennedy says he's hopeful the town will be able to secure the remainder of the funding over the next few years.