TR
"You can observe a lot just by watching." Y. Berra
Lowering reservoir could be 'catastrophic' - News - recordonline.com - Middletown, NY
----------
Lowering reservoir could be 'catastrophic'
Businesses, fishermen worry about Delaware
By Andrew Beam
Times Herald-Record
Posted Jul. 21, 2015 at 8:40 PM
NARROWSBURG - Local fishermen and business owners are concerned that drawing down the Cannonsville Reservoir in Deposit could cause a financial blow to businesses along the Delaware River.
The New York City Department of Environmental Protection is currently lowering the reservoir because of a leak in its dam, releasing cold water beneath the surface that eventually reaches the West Branch of the Delaware River. But many who depend on the river for sport and business are worried that once the cold water runs out, the warm water on the surface that follows could devastate the trout habitat.
“This is a big deal,” said Dan Plummer, chairman of the board of directors for the Friends of the Upper Delaware River. “The river is the lifeblood of these communities.”
Trout fishing brings in some $12 million annually in Sullivan County, according to the Sullivan County Visitors Association.
Ken Tutalo, owner of the Baxter House in Roscoe - which offers lodging and guided fly fishing tours on the river, says if there is no rainfall between now and when the cold water is gone, the results could be “catastrophic.”
“People are nervous because of the potential of complete economic loss and loss of actual fishery,” Tutalo said.
The DEP was forced to drain the reservoir earlier this month after workers building a 14-megawatt hydroelectric facility drilled boring holes into a rock embankment of the dam. They pulled out a casing already in place during the process. It forced ground water - including sediment - that was under natural pressure several dozen feet below the surface to flow into the West Branch.
According to DEP Bureau of Water Supply Deputy Commissioner Paul Rush, about 43.6 billion gallons of the water in the reservoir - or about half of it - could be gone by Aug. 18. This would cause the warm water to start flowing from the reservoir and into the river.
But DEP spokesman Adam Bosch says the agency is hoping to release a blend of cold and warm water for the drinking water supply to preserve enough cold water for the river.
But it will need permission from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The hope, according to Bosch, is the dam can be fixed by the time the reservoir is 40 to 50 percent full.
Bosch said most fishermen understand the need to fix the dam and have praised DEP for acting so quickly. “The fishermen we’re talking to actually really do understand that dam safety trumps everything else,” Bosch said.
abeam@th-record.com
----------
Lowering reservoir could be 'catastrophic'
Businesses, fishermen worry about Delaware
By Andrew Beam
Times Herald-Record
Posted Jul. 21, 2015 at 8:40 PM
NARROWSBURG - Local fishermen and business owners are concerned that drawing down the Cannonsville Reservoir in Deposit could cause a financial blow to businesses along the Delaware River.
The New York City Department of Environmental Protection is currently lowering the reservoir because of a leak in its dam, releasing cold water beneath the surface that eventually reaches the West Branch of the Delaware River. But many who depend on the river for sport and business are worried that once the cold water runs out, the warm water on the surface that follows could devastate the trout habitat.
“This is a big deal,” said Dan Plummer, chairman of the board of directors for the Friends of the Upper Delaware River. “The river is the lifeblood of these communities.”
Trout fishing brings in some $12 million annually in Sullivan County, according to the Sullivan County Visitors Association.
Ken Tutalo, owner of the Baxter House in Roscoe - which offers lodging and guided fly fishing tours on the river, says if there is no rainfall between now and when the cold water is gone, the results could be “catastrophic.”
“People are nervous because of the potential of complete economic loss and loss of actual fishery,” Tutalo said.
The DEP was forced to drain the reservoir earlier this month after workers building a 14-megawatt hydroelectric facility drilled boring holes into a rock embankment of the dam. They pulled out a casing already in place during the process. It forced ground water - including sediment - that was under natural pressure several dozen feet below the surface to flow into the West Branch.
According to DEP Bureau of Water Supply Deputy Commissioner Paul Rush, about 43.6 billion gallons of the water in the reservoir - or about half of it - could be gone by Aug. 18. This would cause the warm water to start flowing from the reservoir and into the river.
But DEP spokesman Adam Bosch says the agency is hoping to release a blend of cold and warm water for the drinking water supply to preserve enough cold water for the river.
But it will need permission from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The hope, according to Bosch, is the dam can be fixed by the time the reservoir is 40 to 50 percent full.
Bosch said most fishermen understand the need to fix the dam and have praised DEP for acting so quickly. “The fishermen we’re talking to actually really do understand that dam safety trumps everything else,” Bosch said.
abeam@th-record.com
