SUBJECT: Safety Voids of 20% need to be part of Delaware River Reservoir Operating Policy.
 
As a three-time Delaware River flood victim and concerned citizen, I am writing to the Commission regarding the Delaware River Basin Commission?s (DRBC) proposed Flexible Flow Management Plan (FFMP).
The built-up over-capacity in the Delaware River Reservoirs has caused overflowing reservoirs many months of the year. This poorly managed resource has caused repetitive flooding; and the FFMP will continue the cycle of dangerous over capacity resulting in continual spilling and flooding of the Lower Basin Municipalities.
 
Riverside residents expect the DRBC to manage the Delaware River according to the Equitable Apportionment Doctrine that the Supreme Court based its 1954 decision on.   A critical element of this Doctrine is managing the Delaware River safely and ensuring that no harm comes to the down-reservoir Communities.
 
We need 20% Safety Voids at all times in ALL Delaware River Reservoirs, coupled with robust releases to maintain this safety void.
 
Please make a commitment to protecting the Communities you represent on the DRBC.  Provide the 20% Safety Voids we need to stop man-made flooding.
 
Furthermore, my fellow flood survivors and I reject the validity of both the current FFMP and Revision 1 as adequate plans to maintain the safety of the below reservoir communities. We insist that you develop an interim plan that adequately protects our community from Reservoir flooding.
 
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.