Another way a river is mismanaged

New York City hoards water only to dump it when it could have been released without threat to water supplies to protect the health of the rivers. This shows what an absolute failure their OST management plan really is. A plan looks ahead. This is totally reactionary. It's a plan that gives the river water when it doesn't need it and doesn't give it water when it does need it.

New York City Reservoir Drawn Down to Prepare for Hurricane Sandy

Residents along Delaware River Should Expect Higher Water Levels

HARRISBURG -- The partner governments who cooperatively manage the Delaware River—Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, New York and New York City—announced today that more than 120 million gallons of water per day are being released from the Neversink Reservoir in Sullivan County, New York.
The water is being released from the reservoir, located in the Delaware River basin about 75 miles northwest of New York City, in order to make room for rainfall from Hurricane Sandy.

“While modeling forecasts show the storm may lose strength when it makes landfall, there are still large volumes of rain that are expected to come down,” DEP Secretary Mike Krancer said. “In order to create more capacity in the reservoir to capture stormwater and prevent spilling, everyone has agreed that a release at Neversink Reservoir is in all of our best interests.

“Residents along the Delaware River may see higher than normal river volumes in the coming days in advance of the storm,” he said. “But this release now will help prevent the possibility of much higher river flows and flooding later on in the course of the storm event.”

Earlier this year, Pennsylvania and its partners signed an extension of a water management agreement that allowed for such releases in advance of storms. The agreement also includes measures to protect the habitat in the waterways and to balance the drinking water needs of millions of residents in the four states.

The two other New York City-owned reservoirs in the Delaware River watershed, Pepacton and Cannonsville, are at about 70 percent capacity. Additional releases at these reservoirs will not be conducted at this time. The Cannonsville Reservoir is along the West Branch of the Delaware River, and the Pepacton is on the East Branch.

Mandatory PFD Use Beginning November 1 through April 30

There's a new boating regulation that starts on November 1, 2012 in all Pennsylvania waters, which includes much of the Upper Delaware River System.  Staright form the Fish & Boat Commission regulations: 

"...a person shall wear a Coast Guard approved personal flotation device (PFD or life jacket) during the cold weather months from November 1st through April 30th while underway or at anchor on boats less than 16 feet in length or any canoe or kayak."

The New York Water come under the same regulation from a law passed in that state in 2009. The New York regulation states:

"No owner or operator of a pleasure vessel less than twenty-one feet, including rowboats, canoes, and kayaks shall permit its operation, between November first and May first, unless each person on board such vessel is wearing a securely fastened United States Coast Guard approved wearable personal flotation device of an appropriate size when such vessel is underway."

So, since all the Upper Delaware River system either borders New York or is in New York the PFD regulation isn't really anything new.  Just look at this post as a reminder.

Upper Delaware Council Hires Resource Specialist

The Upper Delaware Council, Inc. (UDC) announces the hiring of Travis O’Dell of Long Eddy, NY as its Resource Specialist effective October 9.

O’Dell will provide the non-profit organization with technical support on land and resource management activities relevant to the Congressionally-designated Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River corridor.

The UDC conducted a three-month search process to fill the vacancy created by the Sept. 30 retirement of David B. Soete of Honesdale, PA after 23 years on the job.

O’Dell graduated from Roscoe Central School in 2003. He earned an Associate in Applied Science in Fishery and Wildlife Technology in 2005 and a Bachelor’s of Technology degree in Wildlife Management in 2007, both from the State University of New York at Cobleskill.

The 27-year-old had been self-employed as a carpenter while seeking a local position in the conservation field.

He previously held internships or was seasonally employed by: the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation as a park ranger at Mongaup Pond and camp counselor at Camp DeBruce; by Wetland Studies and Solutions of Chantilly, VA; the New York State Power Authority in Gilboa, Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory in Fort Collins, CO, and HDR Inc. of Nanuet, NY in various technician roles; and by Upper Delaware Campgrounds in Callicoon as a canoe wrangler.

“I always have been and always will be a citizen of the Upper Delaware Watershed. It is an area I am familiar with and passionate about. I believe in and share the goals of the River Management Plan for protecting the river and landowners’ rights,” O’Dell says.

Since 2010, O’Dell has lived on a 100-acre property that was the home of his late grandparents Edward and Zelda Milk, on a road named after his great-grandfather Arlyn Milk, located in the settlement of Goulds in the Town of Hancock.

He is the son of Victoria O’Dell of Roscoe, and Richard and stepmother Patricia O’Dell of Damascus, PA.

Travis recently celebrated one year of marriage with his wife Kayla, who is employed by the Northeast Parent and Child Society as a foster care child advocate based in Oneonta. The couple welcomed a baby daughter, Lilyana, on July 26, 2012.

O’Dell is a hobby farmer, raising Icelandic sheep, pastured pigs, and free-range chickens with a commitment toward sustainable agricultural practices. He enjoys fishing, hunting, kayaking, and hiking, and is a member of the Basket Historical Society of the Upper Delaware Valley.

The Upper Delaware Council was established in 1988 as the oversight body responsible for coordinating implementation of the River Management Plan for the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River.

Its voting members are the eight New York towns and five of the seven Pennsylvania townships that border along the 73.4-mile-long designated river section, along with the State of New York and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, who appoint representatives to a governing board. The Delaware River Basin Commission is a non-voting member. The UDC operates under a long-term Cooperative Agreement with its partners at the National Park Service and employs three full-time staff.

For more information, please contact the UDC at P.O. Box 192, 211 Bridge St., Narrowsburg, NY
12764; (845) 252-3022; or www.upperdelawarecouncil.org