Big_Spinner
Trout Hunter
Hi Guys,
FUDR and I agree! The supposed "Emergency Bank" is a sham.
FRIENDS of the UPPER DELAWARE RIVER
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aug. 7, 2008
PRESS CONTACT: Dan Plummer
(845) 586-2109
catskilldan@mac.com
Friends of the Upper Delaware River- Conserving Eastern America's Most Famous Trout River
Government’s Plan to Protect Trout Is a Sham, Says River Advocacy Group
An emergency plan touted by New York City and the four states in the Delaware River Basin as a survival scheme to protect the priceless wild trout population in the Upper Delaware River System is a sham, according to Friends of the Upper Delaware River.
The plan concerns cold-water releases from NYC owned Catskill reservoirs into the river system. Trout thrive in cool water. But they are imperiled when air temperatures get hot, as they have this summer, and river managers fail to release sufficient cold water from the reservoirs to ensure survival of the valuable fish. With the trout population at risk this summer, the parties to the U.S. Supreme Court’s watershed management decree – New York City, New York State, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware -- created an Emergency Thermal Release Program designed to save the fish.
But instead of seeking a real solution to the crisis, the decree parties used public relations “spin” to tout a smoke-and-mirrors approach to the problem, says FUDR, a not-for-profit organization formed in 2003 to monitor watershed management actions by the decree parties and the Delaware River Basin Commission and to advocate a common-sense approach that protects the trout population while heeding the needs of the human population. FUDR monitors water flow from the Catskill reservoirs and has been highly critical of irrational, yo-yo releases—heavy when the river doesn’t need the water, then a trickle when it does.
Four times this summer the temperatures in the Upper Delaware River have reached highs that imperil trout—especially its famed rainbow trout—and the endangered dwarf wedge mussel. After multiple policy sessions regarding the issue, the decree parties relinquished 1 billion gallons of water earmarked for thermal protection—a miniscule amount that is approximately one-third of 1 percent of the storage capacity of the reservoirs.
But the plan set nearly unattainable benchmarks to activate the water release.
“In order to gain a single drop of additional water from New York City-owned reservoirs, air temperatures must be predicted to reach or exceed 90 degrees for 3 consecutive days, and the low temperature cannot go below 65 degrees during this same time period,” said Lee Hartman, Delaware River chairman for Pennsylvania Trout Unlimited. “It makes no sense as an environmental protection program and does nothing to alleviate thermal stress for the trout.”
“I have not been able to find one case this season where we would have received any additional water for the fishery under the new emergency release plan,” said Dan Plummer, chairman of FUDR. “Three consecutive days of 90-plus highs and lows above 65 very rarely happen in this area. In fact, our research indicates this plan would have been applied only four times over the last 25 years.”
Incredibly, the Delaware River Basin Commission made shameless claims celebrating its “flexibility” in implementing the sham plan, said Plummer. FUDR said duplicitous comments about the plan were made by Pennsylvania DRBC representative Cathleen Myers and DRBC’s Carol Collier—comments the organization said exhibited “cynical disregard for the public’s intelligence.”
FUDR is joined in its criticism of the plan by the Pennsylvania Council of Trout Unlimited, Aquatic Conservation Unlimited, North Delaware River Watershed Conservancy and other conservation groups. They say the emergency release plan could have dire consequences for the health of the rivers. These organizations believe there is enough water to protect the fishery and still meet the needs of downstream users while maintaining the safety of people who live along the river.
New York City and the DRBC have gutted the Supreme Court’s original framework of the river flow management plan and left it ineffectual in terms of habitat, flood mitigation, the fishery and recreational use, said Plummer. Overwhelming evidence is mounting that more than enough water exists and is being wasted in unnecessary storage and spillage. The public should demand that this shameful posturing stop, Plummer said, adding that FUDR hopes leadership change within the DRBC will result in a more responsible approach and significant overhaul of the water plan.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FUDR :: 1148 5th St., New York, NY 10128:: email: catskilldan@mac.com :: 607-363-2001
FUDR and I agree! The supposed "Emergency Bank" is a sham.
FRIENDS of the UPPER DELAWARE RIVER
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aug. 7, 2008
PRESS CONTACT: Dan Plummer
(845) 586-2109
catskilldan@mac.com
Friends of the Upper Delaware River- Conserving Eastern America's Most Famous Trout River
Government’s Plan to Protect Trout Is a Sham, Says River Advocacy Group
An emergency plan touted by New York City and the four states in the Delaware River Basin as a survival scheme to protect the priceless wild trout population in the Upper Delaware River System is a sham, according to Friends of the Upper Delaware River.
The plan concerns cold-water releases from NYC owned Catskill reservoirs into the river system. Trout thrive in cool water. But they are imperiled when air temperatures get hot, as they have this summer, and river managers fail to release sufficient cold water from the reservoirs to ensure survival of the valuable fish. With the trout population at risk this summer, the parties to the U.S. Supreme Court’s watershed management decree – New York City, New York State, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware -- created an Emergency Thermal Release Program designed to save the fish.
But instead of seeking a real solution to the crisis, the decree parties used public relations “spin” to tout a smoke-and-mirrors approach to the problem, says FUDR, a not-for-profit organization formed in 2003 to monitor watershed management actions by the decree parties and the Delaware River Basin Commission and to advocate a common-sense approach that protects the trout population while heeding the needs of the human population. FUDR monitors water flow from the Catskill reservoirs and has been highly critical of irrational, yo-yo releases—heavy when the river doesn’t need the water, then a trickle when it does.
Four times this summer the temperatures in the Upper Delaware River have reached highs that imperil trout—especially its famed rainbow trout—and the endangered dwarf wedge mussel. After multiple policy sessions regarding the issue, the decree parties relinquished 1 billion gallons of water earmarked for thermal protection—a miniscule amount that is approximately one-third of 1 percent of the storage capacity of the reservoirs.
But the plan set nearly unattainable benchmarks to activate the water release.
“In order to gain a single drop of additional water from New York City-owned reservoirs, air temperatures must be predicted to reach or exceed 90 degrees for 3 consecutive days, and the low temperature cannot go below 65 degrees during this same time period,” said Lee Hartman, Delaware River chairman for Pennsylvania Trout Unlimited. “It makes no sense as an environmental protection program and does nothing to alleviate thermal stress for the trout.”
“I have not been able to find one case this season where we would have received any additional water for the fishery under the new emergency release plan,” said Dan Plummer, chairman of FUDR. “Three consecutive days of 90-plus highs and lows above 65 very rarely happen in this area. In fact, our research indicates this plan would have been applied only four times over the last 25 years.”
Incredibly, the Delaware River Basin Commission made shameless claims celebrating its “flexibility” in implementing the sham plan, said Plummer. FUDR said duplicitous comments about the plan were made by Pennsylvania DRBC representative Cathleen Myers and DRBC’s Carol Collier—comments the organization said exhibited “cynical disregard for the public’s intelligence.”
FUDR is joined in its criticism of the plan by the Pennsylvania Council of Trout Unlimited, Aquatic Conservation Unlimited, North Delaware River Watershed Conservancy and other conservation groups. They say the emergency release plan could have dire consequences for the health of the rivers. These organizations believe there is enough water to protect the fishery and still meet the needs of downstream users while maintaining the safety of people who live along the river.
New York City and the DRBC have gutted the Supreme Court’s original framework of the river flow management plan and left it ineffectual in terms of habitat, flood mitigation, the fishery and recreational use, said Plummer. Overwhelming evidence is mounting that more than enough water exists and is being wasted in unnecessary storage and spillage. The public should demand that this shameful posturing stop, Plummer said, adding that FUDR hopes leadership change within the DRBC will result in a more responsible approach and significant overhaul of the water plan.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FUDR :: 1148 5th St., New York, NY 10128:: email: catskilldan@mac.com :: 607-363-2001
