Letter from the flood group.
Some interesting accusations and reports on their website.
To All Local, State, and Federal Politicians -
Your Constituents Deserve Your Support
All of us living or working in the Delaware River Basin today are interested in the answer to only one question. What if the reservoirs and Lake Wallenpaupack are at 100% capacity and 10 inches of rain is expected in 5 days? What will happen? You would expect that the Flexible Flow Management Plan accepted by the Governors of four states would have an answer. There is no answer to that question in this FFMP because there is no Flood Management Plan. A release schedule is not a Flood Management Plan. We should all be angry with our state representatives on the DRBC as well as our governors for accepting this plan. Since there are no mandatory diversions to the Hudson, no acceleration of the releases due to rainfall and no voids, if the reservoirs are over 100% full and we get excessive rainfall; under this plan, we again will experience yet another devastating flood. This is unbelievable and unacceptable!!
? Please take the time to read a copy of the New York State Comptroller’s Audit Report.; a very disturbing report.(Attached) The purpose of the audit was to determine if the NYCDEP monitored the extent and nature of the leaks in the Delaware Aqueduct System; initiated repair of the leaks and established a plan in the event of a sudden and unexpected loss of water from the system (collapse of the tunnel). The audit found that even though the leak was discovered 18 years ago, NYCDEP did not monitor according to the recommendations; did not have a formal plan to begin the repair of the leaks; and has not established an emergency plan to ensure the safety and welfare of the people and communities involved. This report’s findings puts the Delaware River Basin in eminent danger for loss of property and lives during storm events and becomes a good argument as to why it is imperative that voids be maintained at all reservoirs.
The investigation found that the Rondout West Branch Tunnel (RWB) was heavily cracked throughout a 7,000 linear feet section in two locations. It leaks at least 36 million gallons per day. Some estimates are much higher. If this tunnel should fail; not only is New York City’s water supply cut in half, but since all 3 Delaware reservoirs divert into the Rondout and the Rondout would not be able to empty into a collapsed tunnel, all the water is trapped in our reservoirs to spill billions of gallons of water constantly into the Delaware River. This creates a truly deadly scenario. The audit explicitly states that the NYCDEP does not have the plan or equipment to even to begin the short term repairs until 2011.
To avoid excess stress on these cracks, two of which are adjacent to geological faults, the NYCDEP is trying to maintain a reduced flow through this aqueduct. Thus if during an impending storm of excessive rainfall, to create a void, the NYCDEP were asked to divert the 900mgd through the tunnel and put it into the Hudson, they would not be able to because this constant stress may cause the entire tunnel to collapse. The segment of the Delaware Aqueduct carrying water from the Rondout Reservoir to West Branch Reservoir passes under the Hudson River at Chelsea, NY. Shaft #6 of the Delaware Aqueduct was designed as a tunnel blow-off and dewatering shaft. This shaft can be used to divert NY City to water directly into the Hudson. Also at this Chelsea pumping station 100-300mgd can be pumped directly from the Hudson in case of drought. It was used in 1989 so there is a way for supplement its water supply. In an Article entitled, Finger in the Dike, Head in the Sand; DEP’s Crumbling Water Supply Infrastructure by River keeper, Inc.Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. much greater shocking detail is given about the leaks and the impending disaster awaiting . If the Delaware Aqueduct does collapse, and no water is diverted to the city, then our reservoirs may continuously spill and eventually breach the integrity of the dams endangering our communities. We all must demand that that we have an emergency plan in place for the possibility of this happening.
It has been stated by Ian Michaels of the NYCDEP that it would be negligent on their part to have permanent voids in the reservoirs in case of drought. Drought has always been the main focus of the decree parties since the inception of the DRBC in 1961. However on the NYCDEP website in a chart labeled “History of Drought and Water Consumption,” the lowest percentage listed is 33 1/3 %. This means that the capacity of all the NY City reservoirs has never fallen below 190 billion gallons, technically still enough water for 190 days. The NY City’s philosophy that “tomorrow begins the first day of the next drought”, must also be applied to the flooding issue. Tomorrow may also begin the first day of the next flood.
Also, isn’t it the epitome of negligence to have no back up water filtration in case the water system would become polluted, a drought does occur or the failing infrastructure collapses. Since the decree of 1954, NY City has done nothing to supplement their water supply other than work on a third tunnel that is taking 50 years to build: has been ravaged with reports of graft and will cost over $6 billion dollars and does not increase their water supply. The EPA has just granted them an unbelievable ten year extension on the filtration avoidance which I find to be quite suspicious. The state health department of New York has just declared on June 8th of this year that the town of Newburgh which takes water directly from the Delaware Aqueduct (water coming directly from the Rondout) must build a filtration plant. (Times Herald Record). Pregnant woman have been asked to consult their doctors before drinking. If this water coming directly from the Delaware System must be filtered then certainly the water from the Delaware System that eventually mixes in the reservoirs (Kensico and West Branch) close to New York which has had pollution problems for years due to the extensive development most certainly must be filtered. The EPA has already ordered NYC to build a filtration system on the Croton Reservoir System. They are being fined $30,000 per day for their lack of compliance with the agreed upon schedule. Exactly what data did the EPA use to support this ten year extension? How can we trust the NYCDEP when in the last two years three employees have been federally indicted for falsifying drinking water monitoring records? (Times Herald Record; June 6).
This EPA decision was a definite set back to our fight for voids and flood control. If NY City were required to build a filtration plant on the Hudson, it would allow them to have a back up drinking water supply during drought and would make it possible for our reservoirs to have voids. Since this EPA decision was made prior to the public release of the Audit report and in light of many other violations and untruths told by the NYCDEP that have been uncovered a legal challenge to this EPA decision should be possible and should be required by our elected officials.The Gilboa Dam is located on the Catskill side at the Schoharie Reservoir.” As part of a comprehensive program to assess the condition at reservoirs in the Catskill/Delaware watershed, an engineering evaluation in 2005 showed that the Gilboa Dam did not meet the state criteria and could potentially become unstable in an extremely large flood. Assumptions that were made in the original design and construction of the dam were found to be outmoded and did not apply to dams built today.”(NYCDEP) I wonder what the inspection reports showed about our dams? I have applied for inspection reports under the Freedom of Information Act, but thus, far have only received some visual inspection reports. In 2005, the Gilboa Dam was in such disrepair that emergency measures were taken immediately to install siphons capable of removing 500 million gallons per day and 80 anchoring cables were placed through holes drilled into solid bedrock. Other upgrades included automatic monitoring of snow pack, computer monitoring of stream gauges and intake gauges, 24 hour surveillance lighting, video and electronic monitoring. (Are our dams monitored?)Then beginning next year a $300 million dollar full scale reconstruction of the dam will begin to install flood gates and release works at the base of the dam that will exceed State guidelines for capacity to release water downstream. Why are these modifications not being done on the Delaware Dams?
Most importantly this Gilboa dam Project Report contains a very important part-AN EMERGENCY FLOOD ACTION PLAN.(See attached )“The summary of this EAP (1) identifies potential emergency conditions at a dam and specifies preplanned actions to be followed to minimize property damage and loss of life; (2) specifies recommended actions the NYCDEP should take to moderate or alleviate the problems at the dam;(3) contains procedures and information to assist the NYCDEP in issuing early warning and notification messages to responsible downstream emergency management authorities;(4) contains inundations maps to show emergency management of authorities critical areas for action in case of emergency.” Aren’t these the exact things that we need at our dams?
Where are the Flood Emergency Action Plans for the Cannonsville, Pepacton and Neversink?
I am attaching a draft of the Flood Plan for Lake Wallenpaupack. They at least have made an attempt to lessen the impact of flooding through a new modeling plan that they are using. It is a start, and I commend them for their effort, but more work is needed on this plan. Now, we need to force the NYCDEP to provide us with their plans to lessen the spillage into the Delaware.
In March 2005, four weeks before our flood, with snow pack on the ground and all reservoirs above 100% why didn’t the NYCDEP start to divert water in the beginning of March since they knew they would refill from the snow pack? If the NYCDEP had begun four weeks in advance and diverted the 900 million gallons a day from Rondout through the Delaware Aqueduct into the Hudson, it would have diverted 25 billion gallons. This would have been that much less in the Delaware. Also if releases had been made into the Delaware according to the interim plan @1890cfs for 30 days, 36 billion more would have been released for a total of 61 billion gallons and voids of almost 20% would have been produced reducing our flood crests as much as 6 feet in some locations.
How safe are our dams? It was reported by the Times Herald that dam inspection reports have been falsified in the past. We need to have the Army Corps of Engineers inspect these dams. In a letter from Deputy Director of Civil Works U.S.Army Corps of Engineers, Steven Stockton, in 2005 he states that” several mayors of downstream municipalities have expressed concern regarding the efforts of NYCDEP to ensure the dam’s safety (Gilboa Dam) and requested that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers coordinate with the NYCDEP to provide expert assistance in resolution of the problem. The Army Corps of Engineers have agreed to help in this Gilboa Dam Project.
All of you need to ask for their help to insure the safety of our dams, and demand that your legislators lobby to make the NYCDEP and the DRBC begin the construction of the upgrades needed for flood control. What’s good for the Gilboa should be good for all of the reservoir dams.
But above all the one thing that should and must anger all of you the most is that after three devastating floods, millions of dollars of damages to homes and businesses, road and bridge repairs and even loss of life, this FFMP has no Flood Management Plan that provides the means to create voids or a mandatory plan that prevents the spillage into the Delaware. In my three years of research, I have uncovered a path of lies and deception by the NYCDEP and an attitude of ‘we can’t do anything more” from the DRBC.
It is time to let the NYCDEP and the DRBC know that we the people of the Delaware River Basin will not and cannot accept this Flexible Flow Management Plan. We deserve better!!!!
Diane Tharp
DRCONLINE.ORG
