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From December 2010 up until now, the Upper Delaware River had more than 71 inches or precipitation, exceeding a normal year by better than 27 inches of the wet stuff.
Deputy River Master Gary Paulachok calls it the wettest year on record. Beginning with February 2010 the basin received above normal rainfall each month with August and September being off the charts. Back to back hurricane remnants and tropical storms added to the unusually high numbers.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
New York City DEP Commits $7 Million to West of Hudson Flood Mitigation
Money Will Help Advance Region's Effort to Mitigate Future Flood Hazards
Environmental Protection Commissioner Carter Strickland today announced that DEP has committed $7 million to improving flood studies and maps in the West of Hudson watershed through a contract with FEMA in order to limit the damage from similar storms and other flooding events in the future similar to Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. This is in addition to $2.7 million, which is now available for technical support and engineering services to help flood recovery efforts in local partnerships with Soil and Water Conservation Districts. The surveys for flood studies are underway in Ulster, Sullivan and Schoharie County and are set to begin next week in Delaware County. Updated floodplain maps provide an essential tool for communities working to identify key choke points and to focus funding on the best ways to mitigate future flood threats. This is especially important since flooding in the West of Hudson watershed due to Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee far surpassed the inundation levels and damages of past record floods. Map Steering Committees comprising local leaders will also be able to use these funds to train their municipal floodplain managers.
"The recent storms have been devastating to our neighbors upstate," said Commissioner Strickland. "During and directly after the recent storms, DEP provided assistance from its upstate and in-city crews to help watershed communities clear debris, open and rebuild roads, and clean and rehabilitate sewer lines, with in-kind contributions of manpower, equipment, and materials valued at roughly $1 million. We also have to think about the long-term resiliency of the landscape. That is why these new flood studies will be critical in helping make the communities more resilient to future flood events."
In response to the 2011 storms, DEP has dedicated additional resources to debris removal and stream and floodplain restoration in the watershed. In the towns of Middletown and Hardenburgh, for example, the Delaware County Soil and Water Conservation District's Stream Management Program guided the debris removal work from extensive reaches of the Dry Brook and East Branch Delaware River using its post-flood emergency stream intervention protocol.
Reworking stream channels after floods, if not done correctly, can increase the hazards associated with future floods. The technical assistance provided through the Stream Management Program has helped ensure that stream work performed post-Irene won't leave the region's rivers more susceptible to erosion. Cumulatively this effort includes over 12,000 hours of staff time, 46 bridge inspections, 95 stream channel restoration projects, and over 100 sites where DEP staff collaborated with localities on stream permitting.
Since 2002, the Stream Management Program and its partners have completed comprehensive plans for most West of Hudson rivers, created a network of more than 25 restoration projects, and established local field offices to help landowners and communities solve stream-related problems, including reducing flood hazards, minimizing bank erosion and improving fish habitat. DEP has invested more than $18 million for stream projects focused on flood hazard mitigation, which is part of more than $55 million overall in funding for stream management planning, restoration work, and education and training.
The success of DEP's Stream Management Program depends on mainly three factors:
- State-of-the-art stream science (called fluvial geomorphology);
- Partnerships with local experts and stakeholders from soil and water conservation districts, Cornell Cooperative Extension, planning departments, towns and riparian landowners;
- Funding commitments: DEP has invested over $55 million in stream management in the last 15 years, and helped the Soil and Water Conservation Districts leverage several million federal dollars.
During and after Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee, DEP worked with local communities to assist in the recovery and rebuilding while making sure to protect the watershed, including:
- Ahead of the storm, DEP increased water release rates at its reservoirs to enhance the reservoirs' ability to absorb storm inflow and minimize any potential negative impacts on the surrounding community or to drinking water quality.
- From the start of the storm, DEP Police assisted with search and rescues throughout the watershed.
- In order to ensure that cleanup efforts were implemented as quickly and efficiently as possible, DEP suspended enforcement of certain watershed rules and regulations in its West-of-Hudson watershed provided they are taken in response to Hurricane Irene and are immediately necessary to protect life, health, property, and natural resources and are conducted with easily adopted, common-sense protections.
- DEP deployed equipment and personnel to Prattsville, Windham, Margaretville, Phoenicia, Arkville, Mill Brook, Fleischmanns, Wawarsing, and other communities. Dozens of watershed maintainers, construction laborers, and supervisors used dump trucks, backhoes, excavators, loaders, and chainsaws to remove debris.
- A Vactor truck and crew from the city was deployed to clean manholes in Margaretville as were crews from sewer maintenance, which deployed flusher trucks and rodders to clean the collection system in the village.
- DEP wastewater treatment personnel from the city pitched in at the Tannersville Wastewater Treatment Plant, where a 150-foot section of road was washed away near the plant. They also assisted with repairing a broken sewer pipe which crossed a stream.
- DEP deployed engineers to assist in inspecting bridges throughout the watershed.
- DEP provided $1 million in funding to help West of Hudson businesses recover from flood damage through the Flood Recovery Fund established by the Catskill Watershed Corporation and assisted with funding toward the repair of Schoharie County's emergency siren system for Gilboa Dam.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Delaware Basin Conservation Act Passes Environmental Committee
In an important step, federal legislation to help protect the Delaware River Basin has passed its Senate committee
The Delaware River Basin Conservation Act of 2011 passed the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works last Thursday.
A companion bill in the House of Representatives is under consideration by the House Natural Resources Committee’s subcommittee on fisheries, wildlife, oceans and insular Affairs.
“We have a long way to go, but this is the first time that the legislation made it out of committee,” said Dan Plummer, board chairman of Friends of the Upper Delaware River. “We want to thank the legislators who saw the value in this proposal, in spite of the difficult economic times we are in.”
The Senate co-sponsors of the legislation are Democratic Sens. Tom Carper and Chris Coons of Delaware, Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez of New Jersey, Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, and Robert Casey of Pennsylvania.
The House bill is sponsored by U.S. Rep. John Carney, a Delaware Democrat. It has bipartisan co-sponsorship, including U.S. Reps. Robert Andrews and Rush Holt, New Jersey Democrats; Frank LoBiondo and John Runyan, New Jersey Republicans; Charles Dent, Michael Fitzpatrick, Jim Gerlach and Patrick Meehan, Pennsylvania Republicans; Allyson Schwartz, a Pennsylvania Democrat, and Maurice Hinchey, a New York Democrat.
The advancement of the bill was lauded by a number of conservation organizations that support it, including Friends of the Upper Delaware River, Delaware Riverkeeper, Delaware Highlands Conservancy, the American Littoral Society, the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary, New Jersey Audubon, American Rivers, the Land Trust Alliance, Ducks Unlimited, Trout Unlimited, the Pinchot Institute and Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future.
“We applaud the bi-partisan leadership and the forward momentum of this much-needed legislation,” said Kelly Mooij, of New Jersey Audubon Society. “The River Basin provides the water, habitat for wildlife and livelihood for many millions in our four states. We congratulate this committee for its recognition of what we in the region have known for quite some time; we must act now to protect this valuable resource for our children and grandchildren.”
“The Delaware River provides the life-blood water to 15 million people in and around its basin,” said John Randolph, editor emeritus of Fly Fisherman magazine. “It has never faced more threatening environmental challenges. This bill is an important step in creating the means of the river's long-term protection and restoration.”
“We applaud this much-needed bill to help protect this incredibly valuable resource," said Glenn Erikson, Ph.D., of Wild Trout Flyrodders and the Federation of Fly Fishers. “The river is the crown jewel of eastern fisheries yet has immense challenges before it, even beyond the threat unregulated hydrofracking poses: invasive species, declining and/or turbid releases from its New York reservoirs, increasing gravel loads scouring the riverbeds, riverbed flattening in key reaches, and many more.”
"In the wake of both man made and natural environmental impacts to the Delaware Watershed, it's great to see bi-partisan support for financial aid to this resource so many depend upon,” said Richard Thomas of New Jersey Trout Unlimited. “We can only hope the support will continue to grow for this legislation which would help protect and restore the watershed for years to come."
The act would implement a voluntary, coordinated approach to sustaining and enhancing the basin’s habitat, water quality and flooding controls to benefit fish, wildlife and people.
It would provide $5 million for each of the next five fiscal years. The federal Interior Secretary would coordinate a program that would involve all four states in the basin, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. The program would include a competitive grants component to provide support for local, on-the-ground projects by non-profits, universities, state and local governments, community organizations and others.
The grants could be used to support such things as wetlands restoration and protection, flood mitigation and waterfront revitalization.
In many ways, the Delaware River Basin has lacked a coordinated federal/state/local oversight effort, even though it is home to more than 8 million people and provides drinking water to 15 million. Other major American watersheds, including the Great Lakes and the Chesapeake Bay, get tens of millions of dollars in federal funding used for such things as conservation coordination.
The Delaware Basin gets relatively little funding, and the lack of coordination leaves it vulnerable to environmental exploitation.
Conservation groups point out that the Delaware River, the longest undammed river east of the Mississippi, is a critical component of the National Wild and Scenic River System in the Northeast. Management of the river and water volume in the Basin is critical to flood control and habitat for fish and wildlife.
Plummer said it is vital for individuals, municipalities and organizations within the Delaware Basin to contact their federal representatives to voice support for the legislation.
He urged those seeking more information, including a list of Basin congressmen, to visit the Northeast-Midwest Institute website at www.nemw.org/delaware.
“This is a great opportunity for us to draw long overdue funding and attention to our vital and precious natural resource,” Plummer said.
The Delaware River Basin Conservation Act of 2011 passed the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works last Thursday.
A companion bill in the House of Representatives is under consideration by the House Natural Resources Committee’s subcommittee on fisheries, wildlife, oceans and insular Affairs.
“We have a long way to go, but this is the first time that the legislation made it out of committee,” said Dan Plummer, board chairman of Friends of the Upper Delaware River. “We want to thank the legislators who saw the value in this proposal, in spite of the difficult economic times we are in.”
The Senate co-sponsors of the legislation are Democratic Sens. Tom Carper and Chris Coons of Delaware, Frank Lautenberg and Robert Menendez of New Jersey, Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, and Robert Casey of Pennsylvania.
The House bill is sponsored by U.S. Rep. John Carney, a Delaware Democrat. It has bipartisan co-sponsorship, including U.S. Reps. Robert Andrews and Rush Holt, New Jersey Democrats; Frank LoBiondo and John Runyan, New Jersey Republicans; Charles Dent, Michael Fitzpatrick, Jim Gerlach and Patrick Meehan, Pennsylvania Republicans; Allyson Schwartz, a Pennsylvania Democrat, and Maurice Hinchey, a New York Democrat.
The advancement of the bill was lauded by a number of conservation organizations that support it, including Friends of the Upper Delaware River, Delaware Riverkeeper, Delaware Highlands Conservancy, the American Littoral Society, the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary, New Jersey Audubon, American Rivers, the Land Trust Alliance, Ducks Unlimited, Trout Unlimited, the Pinchot Institute and Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future.
“We applaud the bi-partisan leadership and the forward momentum of this much-needed legislation,” said Kelly Mooij, of New Jersey Audubon Society. “The River Basin provides the water, habitat for wildlife and livelihood for many millions in our four states. We congratulate this committee for its recognition of what we in the region have known for quite some time; we must act now to protect this valuable resource for our children and grandchildren.”
“The Delaware River provides the life-blood water to 15 million people in and around its basin,” said John Randolph, editor emeritus of Fly Fisherman magazine. “It has never faced more threatening environmental challenges. This bill is an important step in creating the means of the river's long-term protection and restoration.”
“We applaud this much-needed bill to help protect this incredibly valuable resource," said Glenn Erikson, Ph.D., of Wild Trout Flyrodders and the Federation of Fly Fishers. “The river is the crown jewel of eastern fisheries yet has immense challenges before it, even beyond the threat unregulated hydrofracking poses: invasive species, declining and/or turbid releases from its New York reservoirs, increasing gravel loads scouring the riverbeds, riverbed flattening in key reaches, and many more.”
"In the wake of both man made and natural environmental impacts to the Delaware Watershed, it's great to see bi-partisan support for financial aid to this resource so many depend upon,” said Richard Thomas of New Jersey Trout Unlimited. “We can only hope the support will continue to grow for this legislation which would help protect and restore the watershed for years to come."
The act would implement a voluntary, coordinated approach to sustaining and enhancing the basin’s habitat, water quality and flooding controls to benefit fish, wildlife and people.
It would provide $5 million for each of the next five fiscal years. The federal Interior Secretary would coordinate a program that would involve all four states in the basin, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. The program would include a competitive grants component to provide support for local, on-the-ground projects by non-profits, universities, state and local governments, community organizations and others.
The grants could be used to support such things as wetlands restoration and protection, flood mitigation and waterfront revitalization.
In many ways, the Delaware River Basin has lacked a coordinated federal/state/local oversight effort, even though it is home to more than 8 million people and provides drinking water to 15 million. Other major American watersheds, including the Great Lakes and the Chesapeake Bay, get tens of millions of dollars in federal funding used for such things as conservation coordination.
The Delaware Basin gets relatively little funding, and the lack of coordination leaves it vulnerable to environmental exploitation.
Conservation groups point out that the Delaware River, the longest undammed river east of the Mississippi, is a critical component of the National Wild and Scenic River System in the Northeast. Management of the river and water volume in the Basin is critical to flood control and habitat for fish and wildlife.
Plummer said it is vital for individuals, municipalities and organizations within the Delaware Basin to contact their federal representatives to voice support for the legislation.
He urged those seeking more information, including a list of Basin congressmen, to visit the Northeast-Midwest Institute website at www.nemw.org/delaware.
“This is a great opportunity for us to draw long overdue funding and attention to our vital and precious natural resource,” Plummer said.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
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