You need to see the damage to fully understand the problem. When will NYC realize there is plenty of water for everyones use and that gross mismanagement is the ONLY problem.When the ground is covered by 3 ft of snow you can predict almost exactly where the reservoirs need to be in order to buffer the annual spring run-off.
Because of the recent flow levels the Fish and Insects are coming back, this is proof that proper managment of the river needs to continue. Now we have floods that effect human lives because of poor managment of the river system. This shows that the folks in charge do not care what happens to us up staters. We supported NYC after 911 and what do we get in return? It is time for NYC to give something back to the rest of the state and proper managment of the system would be a nice start.
We need a common sense approach on all sides. This area is getting pounded almost yearly and those who control the water are only thinking only of themselves. Why not use a little science to buffer out the big stuff? This cant be all that difficult. On the other hand, as can be expected, there are some places that no matter what you do, they are going to get flooded. You get no pity from me if you build a home or cabin right on the river bank and get flooded every other year. NYC or the State needs to consider a buy out of those properties. Make them public access while we are at it too!
I am certain that there are people in the NYC Administration who are senitive to the environment and to the needs of the people who live along the Delaware River System. I encourage them to come a take a look at what happened to the river and its surroundings during the last flood. While there is no question that flooding is part of any river system and that people who live in the flood plain incur some risk, it should be obvious to anyone who cares that a change in management policy could prevent this kind of damage in the future
Once again the NYCDEP has proven itself to be inept, incompetent, and uncaring regarding both the river enviroment(sad state for an 'enviromental' agancy) and the downstream neighbors.
NYC should be responsible for all damage caused by the recent flooding based on their mismanagement of the Upper Delaware Dams, and disregard for the citizens along the river
It is truely amazing that with the snowpack in the mountains and reservoirs at or near capacity that common sense would prevail and the reservoirs would be drawn down to buffer the inevitable. A relatively moderate increase in release rates during the winter in times of significant snowpack could have resulted in less flood damage and at the same time been beneficial to the rivers ecology.
Is anyone managing the system? Does NYC care about the people who live downstream of the dams? Obviously not!
It only makes sense to let out water during the winter & prior to any heavy rain predictions. The way the flood went down 2 weeks ago, it is easy to tell it was from closing the flood gates, ast it lowered 12 feet in 1 day.
It’s astounding to me that such a valuable resource, in so many ways, has been so poorly managed. Unfortunately, it takes tragedies like the recent flooding to get attention. Hopefully some good will come of this in the form of a comprehensive management plan to better control the flows. It’s been
long overdue.
The Upper Delaware river system will be forever compromised without immediate and appropriate action by all stakeholders. Having lived in Bucks County, PA since 1971. Enough is enough. Its time for appropriate river flow management.
I grew up in Deposit New York and have seen over the years the lack of ability by the managers of the reservoirs to Manage the river flow correctly. To be able to walk across the Delaware River in barefeet one day and the next its over your head, is beyond belief. I live outside of Kingston NY now, and the flooding here was just horrible-same problem different dam!!. Common sense should prevail in all matters of the reservoirs. However, I guess that as long as its not someone from NYC whose house is gone or flooded, then who cares!!
Living on the East Branch below the Pepacton we have seen major flooding in September, January and the worst ever this April. The considerable damage to property, business and the environment could have been avoided by managed releases. The river was so low before each flooding, as it is today -very low, that creating any void would help. I can't believe environmentally that having garbage all along the river, gas tanks strewn all over, campers torn apart,can be considered "good management" it is now an environmental
eyesore. When the water receded it left native brown fingerlings dead all over my lawn.This has a major economic impact on our area.
do something before someone gets killed, a community gets wiped out, or you end up destroying the financial viability of downstream towns. Who will insure them???
It is a disgrace to the NY City Environmental Protection to not be able to manage water releases with the amount of information and tecnology available to them, so as to benefit all.
Recognizing that the dams on the upper Delaware(s) were not originally built for flood control, it is never-the-less time to review the situation as it now exists. Catastrophic damage due to flooding in the past five years continues to increase with the vagarities of weather in the Northeast U.S. As such it is now time to thoroughly review the situation and to make amendments to the Delaware River flows and water storage management on the Pepacton, Cannosville, Neversink and Wallenpaupak dams so as to mitigate these growing losses of property, possible lives and destruction of natural resources..
New York City needs to realize that many upstate people made sacrifices to provide them clean water. As good neighbors, it is time for them to show some flexibility in managing our water in their reservoirs to protect against this kind of disaster.
THE NYCDEP and the NYC government need to be help accountable for their actions or in this case failure not to act. They should have to pay to repair the damages done by the flood because they could have prevented by regulating reservoir levels
The problem here is that the control is in the hands of bureaucrats who are not held responsible for their actions, or lack of action, and as a result do not care about it…process rather than outcome !. The only solution is to take control out of their hands and have group that represents everyones interests and looks at the outcomes
The issue is very resolvable. The phenomena of snow melting and spring rains is not new. Other major cities understand and deal with it by drawing down their reservoirs over the winter in anticipation.
How could the government be so oblivious to what was going to happen. The West branch was low 2 weeks before the flood and could have really used the water.Doesn't the government know that April is a rainy season and that a few heavy rains could have caused this type of damage? I guess by letting out the water they might have been down to what 99.9 percent instead of 100 which is a threat for a drought in their eyes. I hope this does some good for the towns along the D and the trout as well. Good luck Jim
The eminent domain that gave NYC the rights to build, store and provide water to its residents, should indeed come with the responsibility of all the consequences that it brings to its neighbors ( human or otherwise) up and primarily downstream of these impoundments. Violating this responsibility should have social and economic consequence and penalty with swift remediation and certainly demand preventative management to prevent these negligent oversights.
different countries, but same problems..."the lack of common sense".
Where is the government in this world which realy cares and protect.
Too bad there isn´t one.
The water resource needs to be managed better to help those who live below the reservoirs. The impact of the flooding could have been reduced in magnitude by these reservoirs, but was not because of poor management.
it may be time for legal action to open up the 1954 Supreme Court decision over Delaware River water rights, adding flood control to the list of objectives.
The lack of a commonsense, flexible plan to save lives,property and create a stable aquaculture is noe obvious to everyone. Nature has exposed your pompous arrogance that upstate river users have been subjected to for 50 years.
It is surprising that with all the technological breakthroughs in managing the environment, this is allowed to happen. I ask you for immediate remedial action.
NYC was quick to hold out its hat when 9/11 occurred..and the nation, appropiately, responded with assistance. Here is where NYC can help others... and we will all be watching for their response.
I find this whole flooding fiasco appalling, tragic and unwarranted. Please re-evaluate the internal processes and procedures to create more space to accommodate winter snow melt-off and pending influx of rain precipitation.
