Elaine Reichart
Aquatic Conservation Unlimited
 
 
http://change.gov/americaserves/I would like to suggest two Infrastructure projects that would not only benefit the 15 million people who rely on the Delaware River for drinking water purposes, but provide safety to the communities that are located on the banks of the Delaware River:
The first infrastructure project would be flood control mechanisms for the Delaware River Reservoirs.  The Delaware River Reservoirs spill Billions of gallons of water during wet hydrological conditions, causing flooding below them.  When asked why something isn't done to prevent these massive Reservoirs from spilling water over their spillways uncontrollably,  the response flooded towns and people get is: " The Reservoirs are built for drinking water purposes and not flood control".
I respectfully request that money be given to design and retrofit these reservoirs with flood control mechanisms - siphons, dry dams, larger release valves, etc.  The millions spent on this project would save individuals, businesses, communities, States and the Federal Government (FEMA) Billions of dollars in flood repair, infrastructure repair and clean up.  Having gone through three floods in 21 months, three floods in which the Reservoirs played a major role, I can say that the people in the Delaware River Basin would be eternally grateful for Federal Government aid and intervention.
To make the Riverside communities truly safe, project monies for siphons and dry dams, replacement reservoir release valves and additional connective water transport pipes (between Reservoirs) would go a long way to making us all safe.  As I write this, the height of the three Delaware River Reservoirs approach "full", meaning any appreciable precipitation can and most likely will produce spilling and therefore probable flooding within the next six months - because of NYC's desire to hoard "clean" Delaware river water for June 1st, the beginning of NYC's calculated water year.The second infrastructure project I am requesting for your consideration is the building  of a filtration plant for NYC's drinking water supply system.  Building a filtration plant, estimated at a cost of $12 Billion Dollars, would net the following benefits:
1.  NYC's water supply would be safer from contaminants, bacterial and otherwise, protecting those most at risk (the young, pregnant, old, and sick) from the current unfiltered system water as well as the 8 million NYC people who use this water system to obtain drinking water.
2.  There would be less occurrences of Reservoir induced flooding. Man-made flooding is due to the current sub-optimized management protocols NYC employs to satisfy EPA Filtration Avoidance mandates.  This Filtration Avoidance would no longer be needed.  NYC would not have a need to keep their Delaware River Reservoirs full and spilling because their other two systems, the Catskill and the Croton, would hold the same quality value of the Delaware System, making hoarding of dangerous levels of water in the three Delaware Reservoirs unnecessary.  This would keep the communities below their Reservoir safe from Reservoir-induced flooding.
3.  The Endangered Dwarf Wedge Mussel and the dwindling Rainbow Trout population would be given the water flows and temperatures they need for sustainability because NYC would no longer need to starve the Delaware River of these life giving elements in the summer.  (Current practices decimated the river last summer, cutting the flow of the river to disastrous low levels, causing the water temperature to spike to lethal levels for both the Dwarf wedge Mussel and the Rainbow Trout.)
There is scientific proof that there are better ways to run the River: hydrological and engineering analysis done by NJ DEP in a report called: "NYC Safe Yield Analysis" , proves that NYC holds onto more water than they need, making the Delaware River dangerous for both riverside communities and aquatic life. Full Reservoirs spill Billions of gallons when there is precipitation, causing flooding below them.  The need to hoard is removed when a filtration plant is built.  NYC has a drinking water quality problem, not a quality problem.  NYC's Catskill and Croton Reservoirs NEED filtration.Please consider these requests.  As I write this, the Delaware River Reservoirs are approaching 100% full.  And when that happens, any more precipitation will cause  the Reservoirs to start to spill.   This Holiday Season, we who live below the NYC owned Delaware River Reservoirs live in fear of another man-made flood.  Please help us.