The drip of a faucet, the bang of pipes and the visible signs of a leak under the sink are some notable indicators of plumbing problems. Other, potentially serious issues may not be so evident. How can homeowners tell if they have potential plumbing problems? The following are some sights and sounds that indicate it is time to call in a plumber.
• Banging or clanking: Plumbers refer to these noises as water hammer. This is when a rush of water forces through the pipe and bumps into a closed valve, producing a metallic noise. Something is in the pipe that is restricting water flow. Over time, the flow of water meeting an obstacle could loosen pipe joints as the water tries to find an easier workaround.
• Pipe discoloration: If there is any sign of discoloration on pipes, particularly rust, it could be a symptom of a dripping sink or drain line that is slowly leaking. A slow leak can eventually turn into a big mess if left unattended.
• Sewer smells: Pipes need traps and vents. Traps are designed to prevent sewer gas from entering the home, while vents channel sewer odor up to the roof. If there are sewer smells, it could mean a trap has dried out or a vent line is cracked, says Family Handyman.
• Low water pressure: If you turn on the faucet and the water pressure is poor, it could be the result of a clog or a leak somewhere in the system. Pipes that are improperly sized for a home also can affect pressure.
Symptoms of plumbing problems
• Sluggish drains: Clearing drains is perhaps the only plumbing problem that homeowners should address themselves. More often than not, drains that fail to drain quickly have a blockage such as hair or other debris. If attempts to clear the drain do not work, it is best to bring in a professional plumber.
• Shaking sounds: Water can cause occasional noises, but if the sounds are frequent, the pipes are not secured firmly enough. A plumber will need to tighten the mounting straps or even completely replace them.
Plumbing issues are nothing to take lightly, as small problems can quickly escalate and cause thousands of dollars in damage.
Phoenix Humane Society receives $75K grant for shelter expansion project
See Page 5
Gillibrand, Schumer announce $90M in federal funds for West Valley cleanup efforts
BY KELLEN M. QUIGLEY
WEST VALLEY —
U.S. Senator Kirsten
Gillibrand and Senate
Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer announced Jan. 20 that $90 million in federal funding was secured in the approved Energy and Water spending bill for the clean-up of the West Valley Demonstration Project following years of continued advocacy.
In addition, the New York senators announced they introduced bipartisan legislation to support and extend the authorization for the cleanup and remediation of nuclear waste at the West Valley Demonstration Project site, a decades-old contaminated site in northern Cattaraugus County that continues to pose risks to public health and the environment.
“Western New Yorkers deserve to live safely in their communities without worrying about the serious health risks posed by decades-old nuclear waste,” Gillibrand said in a statement. “After years of progress, let’s continue the cleanup and give families confidence in the health and safety of their community.”
The legislation
would reauthorize the Department of Energy (DOE) to conduct nuclear waste management at the West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP) through 2037, ahead of the project’s current authorization expiring in September 2026. It would also increase the authorized funding level from $75 million to $150 million, reflecting the scope of the work while helping ensure the project remains on schedule. Republican Nick Langworthy (NY-23) introduced companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Gillibrand continued:
“I am proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation, and I will keep fighting to deliver the federal resources needed to protect public health and ensure Western New York has the resources it needs to thrive.”
“This funding is a major win for the West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP) and the communities that rely on it,” said Bryan Bower, DOE-WVDP Director.
“For years, this cleanup effort has been defined by safe, compliant, and disciplined performance — and this support allows
us to continue that work with the same high standards.”
Across West Valley and the entire Department of Energy complex, Bower said their commitment is unwavering. He said the team is focused on working smarter, delivering more for their mission and ensuring strong value for American taxpayers.
“This investment will be put to work immediately to drive results, improve efficiency and strengthen our operations — all while maintaining the safety and compliance that are the foundation of everything we do,” he added.
Schumer said families in Cattaraugus County and across Western New York deserve peace of mind knowing that decades-old nuclear waste is out of their backyard.
“If the progress on the West Valley Demonstration Project slows, the cleanup will only get more expensive and time-consuming to decontaminate this site,” he said. “I will keep fighting to deliver the resources needed to fully clean up this site and protect Cattaraugus
County residents and all New Yorkers from this environmental hazard.”
The WVDP was the site of the only commercial plant for the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel in the country. It operated from 1966 to 1972, at which point it shut down as it became economically unviable. This left behind hundreds of thousands of gallons of highly radioactive waste and widespread contamination.
Congress created the WVDP in 1980 to ensure DOE could clean up the site and protect New York communities. Last year, cleanup activities reached a critical milestone, with the successful demolition of the Main Plant Process Building.
However, work continues as the project moves into its next phase of demolition and cleanup. While major progress has been made, reauthorization is critical to keep cleanup on track and prevent costly delays or the loss of highly specialized cleanup expertise.
In October, Jason Capser, president and program manager with West Valley Cleanup Alliance (WVCA), described the next 15 years of work planned
to clean up radioactive contamination at the West Valley Demonstration Project to the Cattaraugus County Board of Health. WVCA received a 10-year contract with a five-year extension option from the U.S. Department of Energy for Phase 1B of the cleanup work.
“There’s a lot of years of remediation left at the West Valley Demonstration Project,” Casper said.
The consortium to handle Phase 1B is led by BWXT with Amentum as a partner. The new contract began in February 2025, and the new firm took over operations at the site June 24 from CH2M HILL BWXT West Valley — a limited liability corporation which had Amentum as the lead and BWXT as a secondary partner.
Most of the leadership team has experience at the site, Casper said, and the few who come from outside bring valuable experience to get the next phase up to speed. Focus will be on what officials refer to as the northern plateau of the site, where the main building previously stood.
“We really want to get as much as possible on that plateau in this
contract,” Casper said. “We’re looking potentially at 12 million cubic feet of soil and contaminated debris,” he said, adding he expects local firms to be part of the solution for coming up with an almost equal amount of clean fill for the site. “When you remove 12 million cubic feet of soil, you don’t want to leave a big hole.” Gillibrand and Schumer annually secure federal funding for the WVDP as part of the regular appropriations process, helping to keep cleanup efforts on track. In the Fiscal Year 2026 Energy and Water Development bill, the senators fought to secure $8.6 billion in federal funding for the Department of Energy to clean up nuclear sites across the country, an $80 million increase compared to last year and $470 million more than the president’s budget request. This funding includes close to $90 million for WVDP. The cleanup project currently supports roughly 350 skilled workers employed by the West Valley Cleanup Alliance and its subcontractors and contributes tens of millions of dollars each year to the Western New York economy.
two former Rite Aid stores — led Cattaraugus County property sales in December. The Cattaraugus County Office of Real Property and GIS Services reported the largest property sale recorded in December was when T&D Resorts Inc. sold four parcels of more than 100 acres at 3477-3502 Bryant Hill Road on Nov. 11 to Axia Triple R, LLC for $7.05 million. The deed was recorded Dec. 31. Triple R Camping Resort features RV camping as well as furnished cabins for rental, an in-ground swimming pool, spraypad/water park, playgrounds, stocked fish pond, events barn, rec hall, campground store and other amenities. County reports on real estate transactions are issued every month, containing records of all filings in the previous month. Some sales see delays between the closing date of the sale and the filing, which delays reporting. Also sold for more than $1 million were several commercial buildings across the county. Prentice Revocable Trust sold two row buildings at 14-16 Washington St. in Ellicottville on Dec. 1 to Hogan Corey for $2.15 million.
In addition, 4628 Group Inc. sold the former Rite Aid store at 9 Broad St., Salamanca, to the Seneca Nation of Indians on Dec. 18 for $1.8 million. In a separate sale, Realty Income Properties 9 LLC sold four Olean properties associated with the former Rite Aid store — 265 N. Union St., 269 N. Union St., 115 Sullivan St., and 220 N. First St. — on Dec. 4 to 265 N. Union St. LLC, for $400,500. Combined, the properties are
assessed at more than $1.8 million. The stores closed in mid-2025 as the national chain pharmacy declared bankruptcy for a second time in two years. By October, the chain — founded in 1962 and once operating more than 5,000 stores — announced all of its locations were closed. Other commercial properties sold in December included:
• The estate of Allen Gertstung sold 48 acres of agricultural land at 7907 Kingsbury Hill
Road in Franklinville on Dec. 15 to Great Lakes Cheese Co. for $387,000.
• Timothy Zimbardi sold three parcels in Little Valley — apartment buildings at 221 Erie St. and 208 Fair Oak St., and a residential property at 105 Fair Oak St. — on Dec. 30 to Drum Estate Company LLC for a combined $173,500.
• Randolph Property Partners LLC sold a commercial building on Bank Street in Randolph to Randolph Lands LLC for $160,000.
Photo by Bob Clark Jason Casper, president and program manager with West Valley Cleanup Alliance, discusses Phase 1B of the cleanup at the West Valley Demonstration Project.
West Valley Cleanup Alliance photo
An aerial view of the West Valley Demonstration Project earlier this month shows the empty footprint where the Main Plant Process Building had stood prior to its demolition.
Phoenix Humane Society receives $75K grant for shelter expansion project
The Phoenix Humane Society of Greater Cattaraugus, Inc. has been awarded a $74,780 grant from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) to support the organization’s kennel upgrade and isolation housing expansion project, ensuring full New York state compliance and increased capacity for sheltering dogs from Cattaraugus County municipalities.
The funding will directly support equipment needs for four-bank upgraded standard kennels, new three-bank isolation kennels and improved animal wellness infrastructure required under New York state shelter care standards, Phoenix officials shared in a press release.
The grant will also help Phoenix fund essential lifesaving services, such as the ability to provide municipal sheltering, cruelty case housing and pet-owner assistance services, while expanding safe isolation housing for vulnerable animals entering the shelter system through local dog control officers, crucial resources to
Phoenix’s operations.
“Being selected for this funding means we can take an enormous step forward in protecting local animals the right way, with proper housing and humane isolation space for dogs that arrive sick, injured or seized in cruelty investigations,” said Javan Tanner, President and Executive Director of Phoenix Humane Society. “This support allows us to raise the standard of care in our region, expand lifesaving capacity and give overlooked local dogs a safer path to reunification or adoption.”
Since 2001, the ASPCA has provided more than $200 million in grant funding to over 4,000 organizations and programs nationwide dedicated to helping vulnerable and victimized animals.
Matt Stern, vice president of grants and administration at the ASPCA, said the Phoenix Humane Society of Greater Cattaraugus is a critical organization for Western New York, providing care to animals throughout the county and its surrounding rural communities.
“The ASPCA is proud to provide the
organization with grant funding to improve its shelter facility infrastructure and support its efforts to come into compliance with New York State’s new shelter standards so they can continue their lifesaving work for the community,” Stern continued.
Phoenix’s plan to use this grant funding exclusively to strengthen humane kennel housing and isolation capacity will support the acquisition and installation of four-bank standard kennels and three-bank isolation kennels. These kennels would directly improve daily care, diseasecontrol response and humane housing for 150 to 180 local dogs per year, including strays
and dogs held for owner reunification.
Luke, a yellow Labrador mix, entered Phoenix through dog control intake after surviving months loose in the town of Ashford as a young puppy before being humanely captured in a live trap in April 2025. Phoenix officials said Luke arrived severely underweight, terrified and covered in cuts and wounds, having been abandoned and discarded like trash, left to fend for himself as if he were nothing more than something to be thrown away. He required immediate isolation, kennel housing and medical oversight.
What followed were months of
patient rehabilitation, rebuilding trust through daily handling, enrichment, and leash conditioning. As of January 2026, Luke is now a one-year-old male, able to walk on a leash, play fetch, shake paw and confidently engage with toys, including squeakers that once frightened him, Phoenix officials shared. His continued progress underscores the importance of proper
isolation, access and adequate local kennel capacity — the very needs this ASPCA grant now helps Phoenix fulfill for the community’s most vulnerable dogs. Phoenix Humane Society of Greater Cattaraugus, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and improving the lives of animals in Cattaraugus County and surrounding rural communities. Founded in December 2023 in response to a growing crisis of local neglect, cruelty and abandonment, Phoenix focuses exclusively on animals already in the community and those most often overlooked or underserved.
For more information about Phoenix Humane Society of Greater Cattaraugus, Inc., visit phoenixhsogc. ngo or their Facebook page at facebook.com/ phoenixhsogc.
SALAMANCA
— Auditions are coming up for “Mean Girls: The Musical,” produced by the Cattaraugus County Living Arts Association at the Ray Evans Seneca Theater, 10 Main St.
Auditions will be held from 2-4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 22; 6-8 p.m. Monday, Feb. 23; and 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 24. Ages 16 and older are welcome. Those coming to audition are asked to bring sheet music
and be prepared to sing two minutes of a song of their choice. Be prepared for movement and dress to dance.
The show dates are scheduled for May 1-3 and 8-10. For more information, visit the
“Ray Evans Seneca Theater” Facebook page.
