DRBC Mismanagement Adds To Delaware Floods

In 1954 the governors of Delaware ,New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York signed a compact to allow New York City to take up to 800 million gallons of water a day from the Delaware River via three reservoirs-Cannonsville,Pepacton, and Neversink- but not to" bank" it.In other words ,use what you need up to 800 million gallons ,and send the rest down stream.
 
In 1961 the governors signed another compact designating thje Delaware River Basin Commission to manage and oversee the operation of the reservoirs .They were smart enough in that compact to mandate that,among other items,the DRBC was to provide "effective flood reduction."
 
We lived happily ever after until 2001,when the DRBC allowed the reservoirs to fill up.In other words to bank the water.Since than, we have experienced three major floods in two years.Lets look at the June 2006 flood.Prior to that flood ,all the reservoirs were at 100% and spilling water before the rain even began.During the week of the flood ,the reservoirs and Lake Wallenpaupack released and spilled more than 100 billion gallons of water into the Delaware River.The DRBC also had the ability to transfer water to the Hudson River reservoirs or the Hudson River, but did not divert one drop.Why?
 
The DRBC states that we are in a rainy pattern and floods can be expected .Not so .In October 2005 we had the wettest month since records were kept.Yet,it did not flood .Why? All of the reservoirs were below 80 percent.Simply stated ,we need room in the reservoirs to avoid flooding disasters.The DRBC states that while it is concerned about flooding ,its primary  mandate is to supply water to New York City ,and that cannot be compromised.Along with the fact that New York City has not used more than 500 million gallons a day in recent years and not one New York resident has died of thirst,and yet nine deaths have been reported from the flooding,I would suggest that maybe the DRBC has its priorities askew.

Jame R. Davis Jr.
Lower Mount Bethel Township