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Comprehensive Plan 57 Agricultural & Natural Resources Understanding and managing the Town of Aurora’s agricultural and natural resources is essential for preserving the rural charm, environmental integrity, and cultural identity that residents value deeply. Inventorying these resources—including farmland, forests, wetlands, water bodies, and wildlife—helps illustrate the town’s ecological richness and supports informed decision-making that balances growth with stewardship. While agricultural uses and open lands continue to define much of the Town’s landscape, they face increasing pressure from residential development, invasive species, and climate change. Informed planning and protection strategies are needed to conserve these vital resources, promote sustainable farming, and safeguard natural systems for future generations. Water Resources Watersheds A watershed is a land area that channels all rainfall and snow melt to a given body of water. Water from creeks and streams flow from high ground to lower ground, into waterbodies like rivers that themselves feed into a larger waterbody such as a lake, bay, or ocean. The United States Geological Survey delineates watersheds by a system of decreasing geographic levels: national regions, subregions, basins, sub-basins, watersheds, and ending at sub-watersheds. Each of these features is assigned a hydrologic unit code (HUC), which is given two additional digits for each level in the system. The Town of Aurora is primarily within the Buffalo River watershed (HUC-10) of the Niagara River/Lake Erie sub-basin (HUC-8). The Buffalo River watershed is in the southern portion of the Niagara River/Lake Erie watershed. It has a total area of 105,392 acres and includes 312 miles of waterways. Waterways within the watershed include the Buffalo River and Cazenovia Creek, the latter of which branches into its West Branch and East Branch in the Town of Aurora. To a smaller extent, portions of the Town are also in the Buffalo Creek and Smoke Creek-Frontal Lake Erie sub-watersheds. Farmland Forest Developed Land Total Area of Watershed Name Town Covered % of Total % of Total % of Total Acres Acres Acres Area Area Area Buffalo Creek 818 Acres 34.5 4.2% 376.8 46.1% 352.93 43.1% Buffalo River 19,612 Acres 4,791.5 24.4% 10,271.6 52.4% 3,420.9 17.4% Smoke Creek - Frontal 1,311 Acres 391.9 29.9% 613.2 46.8% 213.8 16.3% Lake Erie Water Bodies Water Quality There are three large ponds and 60 small, The NYSDEC classifies the quality of waterbodies unnamed ponds in Aurora. The large ponds are with a grade of A-D. Class “A” waterbodies are the Bob-O-Link Golf Course Pond, Christ the King a suitable source for water supply and contact Seminary Pond, and the East Aurora Country Club recreation, while Class “D” waterbodies are only Pond. In addition to the West and East Branches deemed suitable for recreational fishing. Both of Cazenovia Creek, Aurora also contains portions branches of the Cazenovia Creek are Class “B: of Smokes Creek, Pipe Creek, and Tannery Brook. waterbodies, meaning they are suitable for fishing Tannery Brook is in the northeast corner of the as well as primary and secondary recreation. Town and primarily runs through the Village of East Aurora, where it connects with Cazenovia Creek. Smokes Creek is located on the western border of the Town of Aurora and primarily runs through Orchard Park and Lackawanna, before emptying into Lake Erie. Pipe Creek is located along the Town’s southern border near the Hamlet of West Falls.