Cazenovia Creek runs south of Buffalo and has been the site of ice-jam and rain floods, including February 1985 and February 2001. Part of Scajaquada Creek was placed in an underground drain in the 1920s. This guide sets out what the sources say and what they do not.
Key takeaways
- The National Weather Service Buffalo history describes ice-jam flooding in February 1984, February 1985 and February 2001 in the Buffalo area.
- In February 1985, snowmelt and rain jammed Cazenovia, Buffalo and Cayuga creeks, and hundreds of residents were evacuated.
- In February 2001, rain and warm temperatures flooded Cazenovia Creek in West Seneca and Buffalo.
- Part of Scajaquada Creek was placed in an underground drain in the 1920s, after Buffalo voters declared it a public nuisance.
- The sources do not describe floods from the buried drain, and they do not map which streets sit over it.
- No dollar damage figure is given in this guide, because the sources checked do not support one for these events.
Where is Cazenovia Creek, and why does it flood?
Cazenovia Creek runs south of the City of Buffalo. It floods when ice jams and heavy rain or a thaw raise the water faster than the channel can carry it, and the water then spreads into nearby streets and buildings.
Cazenovia Creek runs south of the city, and the sources name it in more than one flood event. That is why it is the best-sourced local waterway for flood history in this guide.
Ice jams are the most dramatic cause in the record. A jam holds the water back until it breaks, and the rise can be sudden. Rain and warm temperatures on snowmelt can also raise the creek without a jam, as the February 2001 event shows.
What happened in February 1984?
Warm weather produced ice jams across the Buffalo area in February 1984, and hundreds of basements in south Buffalo took a foot or more of water. The National Weather Service Buffalo history describes the event.
The 1984 floods were not confined to one creek. The warm spell broke up the ice across the region and produced jams in several places. The sources describe hundreds of basements in south Buffalo taking water a foot or more deep.
The 1984 event is the reason that cellar extraction and silt removal are treated as the first steps after an ice-jam flood. The lesson of the record is that the water has to come out before drying can work.
The cause differed between the events in the record. In 1984 warm weather produced the ice jams, while in 2001 rain and warm temperatures flooded the creek. A homeowner comparing them should note that a flood can come from either route, and that the building's own water line is the evidence that shows which one reached it.
What happened in February 1985?
Snowmelt and rain jammed Cazenovia, Buffalo and Cayuga creeks in February 1985, and hundreds of residents were evacuated. The National Weather Service Buffalo history records the event.
The 1985 floods involved three creeks at once, and the evacuations show that the water reached populated areas. The sources describe the event and its evacuations. They do not give a damage figure that can be verified for this guide.
The records describe what happened to the creeks and the people near them, not the cost to individual buildings, and this guide does not try to fill that gap.
What happened in February 2001?
Rain and warm temperatures flooded Cazenovia Creek in West Seneca and Buffalo in February 2001, according to the National Weather Service Buffalo history.
The 2001 event reached two municipalities, West Seneca and Buffalo. That is a reminder that the creek's water does not respect the municipal line, and a property in one town can be exposed to the same flood as a property across the boundary.
Rain and warm weather on snowmelt can flood the creek without an ice jam, so the cause in one event is not always the cause in the next. The owner should not assume that a flood is either an ice jam or a rain event, and the crew reads the building to find the water's route.
| Year | Event | Places named in the sources |
|---|---|---|
| 1984 (February) | Ice-jam flooding; hundreds of basements took a foot or more of water | South Buffalo and the Buffalo area |
| 1985 (February) | Snowmelt and rain jammed three creeks; hundreds evacuated | Cazenovia, Buffalo and Cayuga creeks |
| 2001 (February) | Rain and warm temperatures flooded Cazenovia Creek | West Seneca and Buffalo |
What happened to Scajaquada Creek?
Part of Scajaquada Creek was placed in an underground drain in the 1920s, after Buffalo voters declared it a public nuisance, according to a regional heritage account. The sources do not describe floods from the drain.
A creek placed underground is out of sight, so a homeowner cannot easily judge from the surface whether a building sits over or near the drained stretch. The heritage account records the decision to place it underground, and it is the most useful place to start a history question about the creek.
The sources do not say that the drain causes floods, and they do not map which streets sit over it. A homeowner who wants to know whether the drain is near a property should ask the City of Buffalo, which is where that question belongs.
What do the sources not say?
The sources do not give a dollar damage figure for any Buffalo flood other than the 1985 preliminary estimate, which this guide does not use. They also do not describe Cazenovia or Scajaquada floods after 2001.
A search for later floods on either creek turned up nothing that could be verified for this guide. That silence is not proof that no flood happened, only that the sources checked do not describe one. A homeowner with a later flood should rely on the building's own record.
No dollar figure is given here for any event, because a damage total needs a source that names the figure and its basis. Anything that cannot be sourced is left out, which is the honest way to write about a flood record.
Care is needed with any figure about these floods that does not name its publisher and its year. This guide follows the rule that a figure needs a named source that supports it, and it gives none that fails that test. A reader who finds a cost figure elsewhere should check it against the source it names before relying on it.
What should a homeowner do with this history?
Use the history to understand the risk to your area, and check your own building for the water line, the entry points and the drainage. A crew can read a building that has taken water and tell you where the water came from.
If a creek runs near your property, look for the water line on the foundation, the stains in the cellar and any silt left in the window wells. Those signs tell you more about your building than a regional history can.
If water has reached your cellar, call for a visit and keep the record of the water line. The crew's readings and note will show how far the water went and what needs repair, and the record is the one a claim will rely on.
Why do the dates and sources matter for a claim?
A claim depends on the cause of the water and the policy, and the insurer decides. A regional history can explain the risk, but it does not decide a claim for one building.
Insurers look at the building's own record and the cause of the loss. The history of a creek is useful background, but the photographs, the readings and the crew's note are the evidence that a claim will rest on.
The New York State Department of Financial Services regulates insurers for general questions about claims. Keep the building's own record with the policy, and ask the insurer what it needs.
How should you read a flood history for your own street?
A regional history shows that floods have happened, not where a particular street will flood. For a building, the signs in the building itself are the better evidence, and the city's own records are the place to ask about the drain and the drainage.
Read the history as a guide to the kinds of flood that have happened: ice jams in February, rain and warm weather in another winter, and a creek that spread across municipal lines. That is useful for judging the risk, but it does not tell a homeowner whether the next flood will reach a particular address.
The building's own record matters more. Check the cellar for a water line, look for silt in the window wells, and read the drainage around the foundation. If any of those signs is present, ask a crew to take readings, and keep the records with the policy.
The events in this guide are given by year and place, as the sources give them. A reader who wants a fuller record should start with the National Weather Service Buffalo history pages named in the sources, and should ask the City of Buffalo where the buried stretch of Scajaquada Creek runs.
Frequently asked questions
Did Cazenovia Creek flood in 2001?
The National Weather Service Buffalo history describes February 2001 rain and warm temperatures that flooded Cazenovia Creek in West Seneca and Buffalo.
Why is part of Scajaquada Creek underground?
A regional heritage account says the creek was partly placed in an underground drain in the 1920s, after Buffalo voters declared it a public nuisance. The sources do not describe floods from the drain.
Is my street over the buried creek?
This guide does not map the streets. Ask the City of Buffalo where the drain runs, since that is the office the question belongs to.
Are there more recent floods on these creeks?
The sources checked for this guide did not describe any later Cazenovia or Scajaquada flood that could be verified. A building's own record is the best guide to its own water.
How much damage did the floods do?
This guide gives no dollar damage figure, because the sources do not support one for these events. The records describe the depth of water and the evacuations, not a verified cost.
What should I do if my cellar floods from a creek?
Keep away from the water, cut the power at a dry panel and call for a crew. The ice-jam guide on this site sets out the first steps in order.
Sources
This guide is general information for Erie County homeowners, not a substitute for an on-site inspection. Prices are estimates. See our disclaimer.