Delaware River States Plan To Lower NYC Reservoirs, Form Task Force

A plan for managing releases from New York City’s reservoirs and for establishing a task force to examine broader flood mitigation issues in the Delaware River watershed is currently being developed.

The four states along the Delaware River (Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Delaware) have agreed to share the cost of a $500,000 study to examine the effects of the spill mitigation program at major reservoirs throughout the basin. Under the spill mitigation program, New York City will increase releases to the Delaware River from its Neversink, Pepacton and Cannonsville reservoirs between July 1 and March 31, during periods of above-normal hydrologic conditions. The plan provides for greater reserve capacity in the reservoirs during the Atlantic hurricane season.

With a storage void the reservoirs can capture more runoff in the upper reaches of the Delaware River. The spill reduction will not eliminate flooding – the New York City reservoirs control only about one-fifth of the watershed – but flood crests may be reduced immediately below the reservoirs. The plan likely will have little flood mitigation effect farther downstream in Pennsylvania, especially after periods of heavy rains. The spill mitigation program is moving forward simultaneously with development of a comprehensive flood mitigation plan.

In addition to addressing reservoir operations, the states will also form a task force through the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) to look at stormwater management, land-use patterns, open space and farmland preservation, floodplain regulations, and other potential non-structural flood mitigation measures in the basin, which is home to nearly 7.8 million residents. http://www.ahs.dep.state.pa.us/newsreleases/default.asp?ID=4224&varQueryType=Detail