Hold a set of Public Hearings, one in each section of the River and again, on Saturdays.
 
 As a resident of the Municipality of Columbia, Knowlton Township, Warren County, New Jersey, I am writing to the Commission regarding the Delaware River Basin Commission’s (DRBC) proposed Flexible Flow Management Plan (FFMP).
 
I request that the DRBC hold additional Public Hearing(s) for Oral Testimony after the Informational Workshops have been held.  Please have these hearings, at locations that are easy to get to and within the five sections (Tailwater Section, Upper Section, Mid Section, Lower Section and Estuary Section of the Delaware River) on Weekend days. 
 
I ask for these things because there are so many changes as to how the River is to be managed contained in these two documents. These new provisions and procedures need to be understood – by everyone. Fellow citizens and and out elected officials still have questions –and the answers to these questions will affect every one of us for years to come.  We all want to thoroughly understand what you are proposing so we can comment and testify intelligently.
 
As the RiverKeeper said:
 
“…We need decision-making based on river- and community-protection priorities. We need open public dialog prior to the deal being struck -- not a phony process that tries to make a bad deal look good…”
 
Please, respect the public. Respect the our local government officials and our needs. We all need to understand this plan – which is more than just some numbers in charts.  It is the Rule of Law that will govern the way our precious river is managed for years to come – and these changes will affect each and every one of us.
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the proposed FFMP.
Respectfully submitted,
 
John G. Webb, III
P.O. Box 336
Columbia, NJ 07832
Affiliation:  Owner of property beside the Delaware River that has been flooded 3 times since I've owned it and member, Delaware River Conservancy, Inc.