WHAT WE WANT...  Received from Peder Hansen, Upper Delaware

To feel safe. With the water over the spillway, the dam represents a ticking time bomb, just waiting for several days of rain to set off the next devestating flood. DEP plans, except for summertime, 100% full reservoirs all year round.

Responsible Maintenance of the NYC Reservoir System must include:

1 - SAFETY VOIDS ALL YEAR ROUND - Lowering the levels of the reservoirs and maintaining them at 80% or less to create a margin of safety for all the residents below the dams. This is a critical issue for both people and the environment. Flooding damages homes and property in communities and it also destroys the ecosystem by polluting the river and the streams. It is also destroying treasured historical landmarks.

Floods have occurred in September, April and June, so "seasonal voids" are out of the question. When the reservoir levels rise above the 80%, releases must be mandated. If those releases are not capable of lowering the levels (like now) other means must be found to lower the levels of the reservoirs, such as increasing flow of water through the Rondout outflow and dumping into the Hudson or if necessary increasing chamber release sizes, . The whole fundamental policy of reservoir management has to change. No flood control is designed into the reservoir system because NYC doesn’t need or want it.

Flood Control first, then flood mitigation. Flood mitigatin is no substitute for flood control. Floodplain management should not further victimize the victims of floods by mandating that they move or elevate their homes. Flood mitigation is extremely costly and not totally effective in light of the fact that each of the last three floods has been worse than the previous one. Preventing floods is a much more cost effective way of dealing with thte problem, dealing with causes rather than effects. And, the NYCDEP needs to acknowledge their responsibility to upkeep the river system with riverbed and feeder stream management to avoid more extensive flooding. They should be liable for damages. Gravel bars continue to grow with each flood and streams are clogged.

2 - No storage increase for reservoirs as called for by the Flexible Flow Management Program. All plans to increase the storage capacity for upstate reservoirs must be abandoned. Our 800lb gorilla does not need to gain weight! And, raising the levels of the reservoirs would put towns directly upstream of reservoirs at risk. NYC needs to more accurately define and monitor its need for “drinking water” which was the original reason for creating the reservoir system. The water is now used for many other purposes and is a huge money making proposition through the SALE of the water. Why bank water that is not needed by the city?

3 - Once the safety voids are place, there is a need for a new water management plan, negotiated with all the stakeholders at the table, allowing, for the first time, the people who suffer the consequences of poor flood control to have a say in the making of water management policy.