Ashokan Reservoir
(file) – already on a maximum release schedule
CATSKILLS – Prior to the anticipated arrival of remnants of Hurricane Florence on the region, late Monday or on Tuesday, Congressman John Faso (R, NY-19) asked the New York City DEP about its preparedness to address reservoir levels.
“New York City utilizes some of the most technologically advances tools to monitor its water supply,” said Faso. “Ensuring that these reservoirs maintain the necessary capacity to safely handle heavy rain events is incredibly important to the safety of downstream residents and communities.”
DEP Deputy Commissioner Paul Rush responded noting the remnants of Florence could bring between one and four inches of rain to the Catskills sometime around September 18.
He noted that last month was the wettest August on record for their Catskill-Delaware watershed with several parts receiving more than 300 percent of the typical rainfall for the month, causing reservoirs to refill during a time when they usually draw down.
“With few exceptions, our Delaware System reservoirs and Ashokan Reservoir have been making maximum or near-maximum releases since the first week of August,” Rush wrote in response to Faso’s inquiry. Rush expects those releases to continue for at least the next few weeks.
“In recent weeks, DEP has also chosen to rely more heavily on our reservoirs in the Catskills to meet the needs of water consumers in New York City,” Rush wrote. “These operational adjustments have creased free space in the reservoirs to enhance the flood-attenuation benefits that their dams already provide.”
