Gothamist: Water Wars Between NYC and Pennsylvania

JenChungsBra

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 10:35:37 -0500

That's totally untrue. Decisions about the city's delaware river reservoirs are made by the Delaware River Basin Commission. The city can't just do whatever it wants. And the members of the DRBC don't force the city to reduce the reservoir levels because they know that keeping the reservoirs full is important to all the people who rely on the river from New York all the way down through NJ, PA and Delaware. In other words, they're smarter than the people who bought land in a flood zone.

SpeedW

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 13:58:21 -0500

I have lived on the Delaware River for 35 years. Here are the facts, for those who are interested: The NYC Dept of Environmental Protection controls the water levels of the river below their dams. When they want the river to rise, it rises. Fall, it falls. This is common knowledge for Delaware Country, NY residents who live on the river AND know the inside story coming from DEP employees. For the past 3 major floods, full/overflowing reservoirs contributed to the severity of downstream flooding and added as much as 5 feet to the flood crests on the East Branch and West Branch. Lowered reservoirs, in the long run, will save us! If NYC residents only knew the whole story about how their water supply is managed, they'd be worried. And with good reason. See: DrowningontheDelaware.com

Spiritof76

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 22:56:44 -0500

NY's move seems fine and in fact, seems like common sense. There's no point in keeping the reservoirs completely full when more rain is coming. And nobody will notice the difference between 100% full and 97% full. Dropping it to 80% would be too much, though. On the other hand, this "screw Pennsylvania" attitude doesn't help. Let's just see what the Corps of Engineers says, although given their performance in New Orleans in the years before Katrina, I wouldn't give them carte blanche.

JacqueMehoff

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 15:59:35 -0500

same with the people who live in Wayne NJ, or sea gate, brooklyn.

Ronkonkoma Ondinnonk

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 15:56:59 -0500

...people who should have known better... Hear hear, edgar!

edgar

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 15:51:31 -0500

This river has flooded in the spring since it started running to the sea, way before there were reservoirs or humans around. Builders knew the river flooded when they build homes on its flood plains. Now they want to risk the water supply of 8.3 million people in order to help a few hundred people who should have known better than to build at the edge of a river that periodically floods? That's not to mention the havoc that would be wrought on the Delaware River ecosystem from stopping flooding that has happened forever. They can go screw themselves.

JacqueMehoff

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 15:26:08 -0500

Eventually, NJ will be the new Staten Island. because SI is the new bensonhurst.

Armchair_warrior

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 14:43:05 -0500

they should stop building places next to flood zones. plus PA is our new NJ lol.

nicemarmot

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 13:44:18 -0500

Um. I'm willing to believe that the reservoirs contribute to the flooding, but it's not like reducing them will stop it. Rivers flood, it's kind of their thing. You could get rid of the reservoirs entirely and it would still flood every few years.