New York City & Delaware County Announce $1 Million Agreement for Roadwork Near Pepacton Reservoir

Intergovernmental Agreement Will Allow for Improvement of 2.2 Miles of Roadway

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Delaware County today announced an agreement through which the department will provide $1 million to the County for the reconstruction of roughly 2.2 miles of City-owned roadway along Pepacton Reservoir. The Delaware County Department of Public Works (DPW) will reconstruct BWS Road 4 this year to improve driving conditions and enhance safety. The road is located along the north shore of Pepacton Reservoir in the Town of Andes, where it connects Route 30 with County Route 1. The Shavertown Bridge boat launch and newly opened hiking trail are both located along the road. The rehabilitation will include paving and striping, guiderail replacement, upgrades to the road shoulders, and the cleaning of roadside drainage ditches.

This is the second intergovernmental agreement between the City and Delaware County for roadwork over the past three years. The first agreement, also for $1 million in 2012, reconstructed 2.1-miles of NYC Highway 30A. New York City water ratepayers and Delaware County taxpayers will save money by using the County's road crews to perform maintenance on DEP-owned roads.

“These roadway maintenance agreements ensure the reliability of infrastructure that’s critical to the community and to our ability to maintain the City’s water supply,” said DEP Commissioner Carter Strickland. “I want to thank Chairman Jim Eisel of the Delaware County Board of Supervisors and DPW Commissioner Wayne Reynolds for overseeing this project, which serves as another example of productive collaboration between the City and its partners throughout the watershed.”

“This agreement with DEP is mutually beneficial for the people of Delaware County and the City’s water supply,” said Delaware County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jim Eisel. “It will help the County control escalating roadwork costs, while also ensuring smooth, safe travel on roads that surround the reservoirs.”

“Our public works crew is happy to be working with the City again,” said County DPW Commissioner Wayne Reynolds. “The rehabilitation of this road near Shavertown Bridge will make it safer for drivers, and we hope to do more work with DEP in the future.”

DEP maintains and operates 95 miles of roadways in the Catskill and Delaware watersheds, including 40 miles of public roads near the Pepacton and Cannonsville reservoirs in Delaware County.

NYC DEP Institutes First of its Kind Modeling System for Reservoir Management

 

Operations Support Tool Uses Real-Time Data and Advanced Forecasts to Guide Reservoir Operations

Review of Data Leads to New Standard for “Normal” Storage in Reservoir System

Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Carter Strickland today announced that an innovative reservoir management system, known as the Operations Support Tool (OST), has been integrated into the daily operations of New York City’s reservoir system. The OST predicts future storage in the City’s reservoir system by accounting for dozens of variables such as weather forecasts, current demand for water, and myriad changes to the operation of the water supply. The $8 million modeling system will allow DEP to divert or release water from its reservoirs at the most opportune times to help ensure the highest quality drinking water is delivered to more than 9 million New Yorkers, and to benefit downstream communities by enhancing the health of local streams while reducing the risk of flooding.

“New York City is breaking new ground with the development of the Operations Support Tool, which is the first modeling system of its kind for any water utility in the country,” Strickland said. “By integrating the best available data into our operational decisions, the OST will help to ensure that we can continue to supply nearly half the state’s population with the highest-quality drinking water while respecting the needs and desires of those that live in and around the watersheds.”

The OST incorporates dozens of variables – including real-time data – into the decision making process. Information used by the management system includes:

Reservoir operating rules: The capacities of the City’s aqueducts and reservoirs, as well as operating rules related to stream releases and water supply diversions, serve as a foundation for OST. These rules include the Flexible Flow Management Plan for Delaware System reservoirs, the Interim Release Protocol for Ashokan Reservoir, required releases from Croton System reservoirs, and more. This ensures that OST does not yield options that are outside the scope of existing regulations or the water supply system’s capacity.

Weather and environmental data: OST uses real-time data from a number of sources, including stream gauges, devices that measure the water content of snowpack throughout the watersheds, and rain gauges, as well as forecasts from the National Weather Service. These data help DEP forecast the amount of water expected to enter the reservoir system, also known as runoff or “inflow,” over a period of time.

Runoff forecasting for OST was significantly improved through a partnership with the National Weather Service (NWS). DEP provided up to $1 million to the NWS to expedite its development of the Hydrologic Ensemble Forecast Service (HEFS), a new computer modeling system that uses meteorological forecasts and current snowpack data to predict the amount of runoff from rainfall and snowmelt. Before this new system was developed, DEP used the historic record of rainfall and runoff to predict the impact weather would have on the water supply. The National Weather Service delivers HEFS forecasts to DEP every day, and they are automatically incorporated into OST, which is expected to enhance the accuracy of runoff predictions.

“We are excited to provide these improved river forecasts to NYC DEP that support optimized management of the NYC water supply," said Laura Furgione, National Weather Service deputy director. "Through this partnership, we can demonstrate the value of river forecast uncertainty information and begin rolling out probabilistic forecasts at least a year earlier than originally planned that will improve our services to protect lives and property and enhance the national economy. Effective partnerships, like this one with NYC, are critical to our vision for a Weather-Ready Nation.”

In-city and upstate demand: The modeling system also incorporates the demand for drinking water in the city and among the more than 70 communities upstate that use water from the city’s water supply system. Along with required releases to rivers, creeks, and streams, demand accounts for “outflow” from the system.

Operational changes: OST also allows DEP to test different operational decisions to project how each would affect the water supply system in the months ahead. For instance, if DEP chose to divert 300 million gallons a day from one of its reservoir systems instead of 500 million gallons, OST can project how that decision and dozens of others will affect system storage, water quality, required releases, and more.

This advanced modeling allows DEP to test different operational changes in a virtual setting – and understand their outcomes – so that daily decisions are made with the best available information. OST also takes into account how ongoing construction projects might affect the water supply, and it will help DEP make operational changes ahead of big storms to limit turbidity, and the effect of wind and other factors.

Because OST reads dozens of data sets that are fed into the system from many sources, the modeling program requires an especially powerful computer system. Development of OST included the installation of computer hardware that uses 64 processing cores to maximize performance. By comparison, the average home computer has roughly six processing cores. Before the new hardware was developed, OST’s most complicated models took 30 hours to produce results. Now, the most complicated model produces results in about 30 minutes.

DEP began developing OST with consultant Hazen and Sawyer in 2009 and portions of the system were phased into DEP’s daily water supply operations as they were completed. The OST will continue to be updated in the future to reflect changes to regulations, infrastructure, and other factors affecting water supply operations.

Analysis of data used for OST also led DEP to reassess what’s known as “normal” storage in its reservoir system. The “normal” storage is a number that’s updated every day on DEP’s website, and often referred to by news publications and local meteorologists to explain how heat waves, droughts, large storms or other weather events affect storage in the City’s reservoir system. The “normal” storage is listed next to the current day’s storage on a map that can be found by clicking here. The values for “normal” storage were set by engineers sometime in the 1980s, using now-antiquated modeling to create a chart that projected how storage in the reservoirs would generally change during periods of higher demand in the summer, and periods of snowfall and rain in the winter and spring.

As part of the development of OST, DEP recently compiled 30 years of reservoir storage data and used their median to reflect the actual “normal” storage for the system. The 30-year median values showed that the City’s 19 reservoirs and three controlled lakes held more water during the fall and early winter than predicted in the 1980s. Several factors likely contribute to this difference, including lower demand for water as a result of high-efficiency fixtures. Also, the data show that the Northeast has experienced a prolonged “wet” period, during which precipitation has been unusually high for the past several decades. Climate change also plays a role through increased incidents of extreme storms, and by melting snow earlier in the calendar year, which leads to the reservoirs refilling earlier. Many of these factors could not have been predicted with the 1980s modeling.

“Using these 30 years of data as the standard for normal storage in our reservoir system will give New Yorkers a better understanding of their water supply on a daily basis,” Strickland said. “As we strive to be the most transparent water supply in the country, it’s also important that the information we provide is as accurate as possible. These new data will meet that high standard.”

The chart below shows the normal storage as modeled in the 1980s, and the normal storage according to the 30-year median of actual data.


DEP will soon switch to using the new data for normal storage, which will provide City and watershed residents with a more accurate comparison to current storage throughout the reservoir system.

DEP manages New York City’s water supply, providing more than one billion gallons of water each day to more than 9 million residents, including 8.3 million in New York City, and residents of Ulster, Orange, Putnam, and Westchester counties. This water comes from the Catskill, Delaware, and Croton watersheds that extend more than 125 miles from the City, and the system comprises 19 reservoirs, three controlled lakes, and numerous tunnels and aqueducts. DEP employs nearly 6,000 employees, including almost 1,000 scientists, engineers, surveyors, watershed maintainers and others professionals in the upstate watershed. In addition to its $68 million payroll and $157 million in annual taxes paid in upstate counties, DEP has invested more than $1.5 billion in watershed protection programs—including partnership organizations such as the Catskill Watershed Corporation and the Watershed Agricultural Council—that support sustainable farming practices, environmentally sensitive economic development, and local economic opportunity. In addition, DEP has a robust capital program with over $14 billion in investments planned over the next 10 years that will create up to 3,000 construction-related jobs per year.

Drift Boater's Reference for the Upper Delaware River

A short guide with suggestions to help your day go smoother and  some emergency phone numbers you can keep handy just in case it doesn't.

 

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1. Boat ramps: use only for launching, not prepping & rigging.

 

2. Waders have the right of way when they're in the water.

a.) Go behind them whenever possible even if it means walking.

b.) If unsure what side to pass, ask.

 

3. Other vessels:

a. Overtaking, the other vessel has the right of way. Give as wide a berth as possible.

b. You should never cut off or jump in front of another vessel and fish.

c. Anchored vessels should be treated like waders, they have the right of way.

 

4. Be Uncommon, Use Common Sense

a. Do not block narrow channels with your vessel

b. When out wading a narrow channel expect to let other vessels through.

c. Do not crowd other vessels. Maintain at least a 100' distance

d. do not try to navigate in unfamiliar water in the dark. This places you & others in harms way & creates a burden on others should a problem arise.

e. Avoid altercations & arguments. No one wins & you ruin your day

 

5. Report illegal activity including unlicensed guides to the National Park Service, PA Fish & Boat Commission, and the NY DEC.

Carry a First Aid kit, flashlight, PFD's, spare boat plugs and all safety equipment as required by regulations.

 

Important Phone Numbers:

 

National Park Service 24 Hour Dispatch: 570-426-2457

PA Fish & Boat Commission Law Enforcement: 570-477-5717

New York DEC: 877-457-5680

PA State Police: 570-253-7126

NY State Police: Delaware County 607-467-3215 Sullivan County 845-252-3212

 

More info about boating on the Upper Delaware can be found at: http://crosscurrentfishing.blogspot.com/2006/03/drift-boat-etiquette.html

www.FlyFishTheDelaware.com

DRBC Updates PCB and pH Water Quality Criteria for Delaware River and Bay

The Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) at its December 4, 2013 business meeting adopted updated water quality criteria for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the Delaware Estuary and Bay and also for pH in interstate tidal and non-tidal reaches of the main stem Delaware River.

The updated PCB criteria for the protection of human health from carcinogenic effects is 16 picograms/liter. This number, based upon the most current methodology and scientific data available, is now a uniform value for the entire Delaware Estuary and Bay (DRBC Water Quality Zones 2-6). The criteria previously varied according to the water quality zone, differed from that of the basin states, and did not take into account site-specific data and current U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) guidance on the development of human health criteria.

This update was originally proposed in 2009, but action was deferred pending further refinement of an implementation strategy to support achievement of the revised PCB water quality criteria. While comment on an updated implementation strategy was solicited simultaneously with the current PCB criteria revision, there was no planned commission action on the strategy.

The Delaware Estuary and Bay are considered impaired for PCBs, and the U.S. EPA has established total maximum daily loads (Stage I TMDLs) for these waterbodies. A TMDL expresses the maximum amount of a pollutant that a waterway can receive and still attain water quality standards. With DRBC’s adoption of revised PCB criteria, it is anticipated that the U.S. EPA will establish new TMDLs (Stage 2 TMDLs) corresponding to the updated criteria. In the associated report announcing the Stage 2 TMDLs, the U.S. EPA will include the proposed implementation strategy as an appendix and will solicit comment on the report and strategy in 2014.

PCBs have been classified by the U.S. EPA as a probable human carcinogen. The U.S. banned the manufacture and general use of PCBs in the late 1970s, but not before 1.5 billion pounds of the substance was produced.

The updated PCB criteria was developed under the guidance of the commission’s Toxics Advisory Committee, comprised of representatives of the four basin states – Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania – and members of the academic, agricultural, public health, industrial and municipal sectors, and non-governmental environmental community. The rulemaking was noticed in the federal and state registers, with the full text of the proposed rule changes and related materials posted on the DRBC web site on August 1, 2013. A public hearing was held on September 10, with written comments accepted through September 20.

The commissioners at the December 4 meeting, which was held at the Washington Crossing Historic Park Visitor Center, also adopted revised pH water quality criteria for the main stem Delaware River and tidal tributaries up to the head of tide. DRBC’s pH criteria have not been updated since being established in 1967. The old pH criteria were expressed as ranges and were different for the tidal (between 6.5 and 8.5) and non-tidal (between 6 and 8.5) river. The approved criteria range (between 6.5 and 8.5) is now uniform for the entire main stem Delaware (except towards natural conditions in certain sections of the river), minimizes regulatory inconsistencies between DRBC criteria and that of the basin states and the U.S. EPA, and better addresses natural pH cycles in the main stem Delaware River.

The revisions to the pH criteria were unanimously endorsed by the DRBC’s Water Quality Advisory Committee, comprised of regulators, municipal and industrial dischargers, academicians, and environmental organizations, which advises the commissioners on technical matters relating to water quality within the basin. The rulemaking was noticed in the federal and state registers, with the full text of the proposed rule changes and related materials posted on the DRBC web site on September 20, 2013. A public hearing was held on October 24, with written comments accepted through November 21.

Additional information is available on the commission’s web site at www.drbc.net.

The DRBC was formed by compact in 1961 through legislation signed into law by President John F. Kennedy and the governors of the four basin states with land draining to the Delaware River. The passage of this compact marked the first time in our nation’s history that the federal government and a group of states joined together as equal partners in a river basin planning, development, and regulatory agency.

At Fourth Annual Water Conference, Upper Delaware Is Judged Priceless

How much is the water of the Upper Delaware River worth?

It’s priceless, according to conservationists, business owners, flyfishers and government officials who participated in the fourth annual Water Water Everywhere conference, held last week near Hancock, NY.

About 100 people attended the two-day conference on Oct. 15 and 16 at the West Branch Angler & Resort. The event was sponsored by the Friends of the Upper Delaware River (FUDR), a watershed protection organization dedicated to the protection and restoration of the Upper Delaware River region.

The event is held each year to give river stakeholders and government officials the opportunity to get together and discuss the Delaware River, an invaluable natural resource asset that serves millions of residents from its headwaters in the Catskills 400 miles downstream to the Delaware Bay.

“Our job, and the purpose of this event, is to educate and engage river advocates on the benefits of what a healthy river system means to not only our community but to our friends who share the water that flows out of our region downstream to Delaware Bay and into the ocean,” said Jeff Skelding, Executive Director of FUDR.

The conference began with a report by Tom Shepstone, a Wayne County consultant and businessman, who produced a draft economic impact study on how protecting and restoring the Upper Delaware River coldwater fishery through improved water releases and other conservation efforts can benefit the regional economy.

A number of conference attendees, included many fishermen and women and fishing-related business owners, said the initial numbers attributed to various forms of river recreation appeared to undervalue the resource.

Shepstone said, "The numbers might seem a bit low and I may have missed a few things that need to be reconsidered. But the numbers I am presenting today are credible and very substantial to the local economy. This is only an initial draft and there is still more work to do."

Commissioner Robert Bachman of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission said, “Our area is different in that the Delaware River is a world-class fly-fishing destination. We get anglers that come from all over the world for a week at a time to visit and spend money in the area. This is very different from the guy who just comes down for the day from Binghamton and whose major expense may only be fuel costs."

The conference included a presentation by several business owners from Hancock, NY who say they depend on visitors who are drawn to the region by the Upper Delaware River. They included Theresa Allen, who owns the Hancock, NY liquor store; brothers Sam and Matt Batschelet, owners of the West Branch Angler & Resort; Bart Larmouth, manager of the Delaware River Club, and Ben Rinker, owner of East Branch Outfitters.

Each told the same story: Their income flows from the river. When it is full of water, their tills are flush with cash. When water levels drop, so do revenues.

"Modern clients use modern methods of planning a trip to the region,” said Larmouth. “They go online to look at river conditions. If we have water, they come here. If we don’t, they go somewhere else."
Bachman and other participants agreed Shepstone’s numbers were a starting point for a long-overdue, credible economic impact study related to river usage.

The conference also included:

• A report by Mark Gutshall of Landstudies Inc. and Tracy Brown from Trout Unlimited about an ongoing FUDR-sponsored project to restore feeder streams in the Hancock area. Gutshall said, "To improve the health of our streams and rivers, we first need to look hard at historical land use. After we get this, we can go back and restore our waterways in a holistic manner that will not only help with flood mitigation but provide the habitat our wildlife needs to thrive. And it’s far more cost effective to protect streams before they become degraded rather than repairing them after the damage is done."

• A discussion on improving water release through an “Equitable Apportionment Plan” from the Catskills reservoirs, which provide drinking water to New York City, to better protect the cold water ecosystem that has allowed trout to thrive downstream of those reservoirs. Garth Pettinger, a New York Trout Unlimited representative and FUDR member, said the Croton Reservoir system in Westchester County will go back on line this fall after completion of a new filtration plant in the Bronx. Pettinger said that means the demand for Delaware River water should be reduced, which will allow improved management of the Catskills water without jeopardizing the drinking water needs of New York City residents.

• A report by Dr. Peter Kolesar, Professor Emeritus at Columbia University about a thermal relief plan to protect the fishery from periodic thermal stress during hot spells in the summer. Kolesar says a well-planned “pulse” releases built into the next water release management plan can maintain a water temperature target at key locations without impacting water delivery to New York City. Mark Hartle of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission and Fred Henson of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, who reviewed data compiled by Kolesar, agreed that pulse releases would have mitigated water temperatures spikes during heat waves the past two summers.

• Discussion about what hydraulic fracturing might mean to the region and its impacts on the Upper Delaware River. Paul Rush, Deputy Commissioner for the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, said his agency is determined to protect the city’s water supply from fracking. Rush said, “The risks are far too great.” Katy Dunlap of Trout Unlimited said her group does not oppose responsible drilling but opposes fracking in "special places" like the Delaware River Basin and the New York City watershed. FUDR Chairman Dan Plummer added, "FUDR feels the same way and would follow Trout Unlimited's lead on this."

• Kathy Moser, Assistant Deputy Commissioner for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and Alan White, Executive Director of the Catskill Center for Conservation and Development discussed the potential for a shift in emphasis by New York State from the Adirondacks to the Catskills. “The Catskills have been historically under-recognized by the state of New York in terms of resource allocation and political attention. We would welcome a new emphasis on the Catskills to boost the already significant economic and environmental contribution to the region and the state,” said White.

The Delaware River Basin Commission Publishes New Online Interactive Maps

The Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) is pleased to announce the release of two new interactive maps on its web site that allow the public to access select commission docket and permit holder information, as well as certain data from non-tidal Delaware River Basin water quality monitoring locations.

"The creation of these new interactive maps marks the completion of another step in a multi-phase technology upgrade, which is being undertaken to help DRBC become more transparent, efficient, and better able to share electronic information with the public," said DRBC Executive Director Carol R. Collier.

The docket and permit holder information map shows the location of projects having a current approval from DRBC or those currently engaged in the renewal process. When a project is selected on the map, a pop-up menu provides a list of key attributes and a link to view the DRBC approval document. Projects approved since January 1, 2005 are available for display on the map.

The water quality monitoring map provides the user with an image of the selected monitoring site (if available) and a link to view a time-series analysis of the monitored parameters. The currently available water quality data are specific conductance results from six real-time HOBO® monitors deployed in the upper Delaware River Basin and barium and strontium data for samples taken from various locations in the non-tidal watershed.

These maps were created using ESRI ArcGIS Online software. Utilizing this recently released software gives DRBC the ability to create and update the maps in-house at a significant cost savings.

The DRBC was formed by compact in 1961 through legislation signed into law by President John F. Kennedy and the governors of the four basin states with land draining to the Delaware River. The passage of this compact marked the first time in our nation's history that the federal government and a group of states joined together as equal partners in a river basin planning, development, and regulatory agency.

Visit http://www.state.nj.us/drbc/programs/natural/baseline-monitoring.html to access the new interactive maps.

Innovative Floodplain Restoration Project Wins National StormTV Competition

Video Featuring Landis Homes Floodplain Restoration Project featured during WEF’s Stormwater Congress award ceremony

LandStudies, Inc. (LSI), a Lititz based environmental planning and restoration firm, announced today that it won first place in the Water Environment Federation (WEF)’s second annual StormTV Project video competition. This is the same firm that is curently working on the Sands Creek Habitat Restoration Project with Friends of the Upper Delaware River. Sands Creek is a major trout spawning tributary on the West Branch of the Delaware River.

LandStudies received the award in the “for-profit” projects category for their “Landis Homes Restoration” video which highlights an innovative floodplain restoration project. The winning video from LSI was featured during the Stormwater Congress award ceremony at the 86th Annual Water Environment Federation Technical Exhibition and conference in Chicago, IL on October 5-7.

The Water Environment Federation (WEF)’s second annual StormTV Project is a competition for videos that feature innovative stormwater programs and projects from around the country with the goal to share creative ways of managing stormwater, improving water quality, and informing the public of current issues related to water quality, stormwater runoff, and management.

WEF collected 75 stormwater videos, amounting to hours of content covering a broad range of stormwater topics from green infrastructure design to youth education programs to stream restoration. Videos were submitted by organizations, government entities, consulting firms, and equipment manufacturers nationwide. Submitted videos were reviewed by twenty judges from the WEF’s stormwater and watershed committees and received scores based on the following criteria: innovation, communication of the message, visual appeal and quality, and content matter and relevance.

The “Landis Homes Restoration” video features Landis Homes Retirement Community’s Manheim Township campus, which is home for 700+ residents living in cottages, apartments, suites, and personal care and healthcare facilities. With stewardship as a guiding principal of the retirement community, the primary goal of this restoration project was to vastly improve stream function and the site’s ecological biodiversity while making efficient use of the land. The 6.5 acre floodplain restoration project completed in spring 2013 was designed and constructed by LandStudies. The restoration included 3,100 linear feet of Kurtz Run and the removal of a sediment filled pond along with the removal of approximately three feet of legacy sediment. The resulting nutrient and sediment load reductions will improve the water quality of the Chesapeake Bay. In addition, the project reduces stream bank erosion and promotes infiltration and filtration of runoff resulting in water quality benefits. The project has received widespread recognition for its innovation and ecological benefits.

About Land Studies
Land Studies, Inc. is an environmental planning and restoration firm serving the mid-Atlantic region for over 25 years. They work on the belief that understanding and working with natural systems, instead of artificially controlling them, provides consistently superior, more stable, and longer lasting results. They offer a refreshing approach to conventional site design while balancing stewardship with practicality. Learn more at: www.landstudies.com