BUFFALO, N.Y. — They tested the water, removed invasive species and strengthened the shoreline and finally, after five years of hard work, the Buffalo River is a much healthier habitat for plants and animals.

"We added some compost materials to give the soil more nutrients because it's pretty lacking in this area, and then we planted about two, 3,000 native plants and shrubs and acres of meadow area," said Katherine Winkler, director of ecological design and implementation for Buffalo Niagara Watekeeper.

In partnership with the Great Lakes Commission, Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper and Congressman Brian Higgins celebrated the completion of the Buffalo River Habitat Restoration Project. Eight sites along the Buffalo River are now inhabitable by wildlife and ready to be explored.

"What was once a river that was declared ecologically destroyed, biologically dead, is now coming back," said Higgins.

"It brings people back to the river, enhances recreation, gets people fishing again, gets people to really enjoy the unique environment that we have here," said John Catena, regional supervisor for NOAA’s Restoration Center in the Northeast and Great Lakes.

All that hard work brings economic benefits.

"Clean water can be an engine for economic recovery,” said Jill Jedlicka, executive director of Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper. “The cleanup and restoration themselves are creating jobs in our community, and we know that when waterways and shorelines come back to life, the communities around them will come back to life too.”

"We've seen time and again restoration is also a job creator, is good for the economy. We need scientists, engineers, heavy construction workers to make these projects a reality. We've demonstrated for every million dollars of investment in restoration funding we create 16 jobs," Catena said.

With these projects reaching completion, the Buffalo River is one step closer to being even more environmentally friendly.

"We are setting the stage for this river to finally be taken off that infamous list known as the areas of concern, one of the Great Lakes area of concern," said Jedlicka.