All posts by admin

JOIN US for an information session

DEP and towns along the lower Esopus Creek will co-host a public information session on Nov. 18 at 6 p.m. The meeting will happen at the Frank D. Greco Memorial Senior Center in Saugerties, at 207 Market Street. DEP will share information about Ashokan Reservoir, its operations during the ongoing Catskill Aqueduct shutdown, and an overview of the rules that currently govern releases from the reservoir. Those in attendance will also learn about helpful tools for creekside residents, including real-time gage data that can be found online.

Registration is required for in-person attendance at the senior center. You can register at the following link: http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=zl6cbwuab&oeidk=a07eisnopqi82676906

The info session will be broadcast live online for those who want watch but cannot attend in person. The following link will take you to the broadcast on the night of the meeting: https://cantineveteranscomplex.webex.com/cantineveteranscomplex/j.php?MTID=mdb23091ef19fbeb0854eb25ed50201af

Public hearing March 3rd, comment period extended

A second public hearing on the permit application and the Draft EIS, including Ashokan Reservoir operations and releases, will be held at 4:00 P.M. on Wednesday, March 3, 2021, through the Webex Events electronic webinar platform. For instructions for attending the hearing, visit: https://www.dec.ny.gov/enb/122281.html

The deadline for written comments has been extended to June 16, 2021. All interested parties may submit written comment concerning the Draft EIS and permit applications to the DEC Contact Person listed below by June 16, 2021. Comments sent by regular mail must be postmarked no later than June 16, 2021. E-mail comments must be received by 5:00 p.m. June 16, 2021.

DEC CONTACT PERSON: Kristen Cady-Poulin, Environmental Analyst, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233, Phone: 518-402-9167, E-mail: DEPPermitting@dec.ny.gov

For more information, please visit the DEC website at https://www.dec.ny.gov/enb/122281.html

Public review and comment period for ashokan releases

Available for Public Review and Comment: Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Modification of the CATALUM SPDES Permit, and Draft Permit. This includes Proposed Action in Lower Esopus Creek as part of the revised Ashokan Reservoir Release Protocol. Written public comments will be accepted on the Draft EIS until March 16, 2021. A virtual public comment hearing on the permit application and the Draft EIS will be held before at 4:00 P.M. on Thursday, February 4, 2021, through the Webex Events electronic webinar platform. Information on how to provide public comment and participate in the Virtual Public comment hearing can be found here.

DEP & USGS announce installation of stream gauge at Lomontville

DEP PRESS RELEASE:
Department of Environmental Protection and U.S. Geological Survey Announce Installation of New Stream Gauge in Lower Esopus at Lomontville

Gauge in Lower Esopus Creek Will Provide Important Data for Future Stream Projects

Data on Flow and Turbidity is Viewable on USGS Website

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) today announced that a new stream gauge was installed this month along the lower Esopus Creek at Lomontville, roughly 6 miles below Ashokan Reservoir. The gauge will provide flow and turbidity data, which will be posted in near-real time to the USGS and DEP websites. As part of the installation project, the ability to measure turbidity was also added to an existing gauge further downstream in Mount Marion, and that data will also be posted on the USGS and DEP websites.

The Lomontville gauge was among the terms of a consent order signed in late September by DEP and the state Department of Environmental Conservation. The order required the gauge at Lomontville to be installed within a year. The City and USGS installed it within roughly six weeks. The new stream gauge is part of a national network – including roughly 40 gauges throughout the Catskills – that constantly gathers scientific data to better understand the hydrology of local streams. The gauges also help forecast stream flows, which enhanced an important flood-warning network that protects life and property across the region.

“Scientific data collected by the new gauge will help stakeholders along the lower Esopus better understand how the creek reacts to normal flows and extreme storms, including the resulting fluctuations in turbidity at different points along the creek,” DEP Commissioner Carter Strickland said. “The gauge will also provide valuable information when water is released from Ashokan Reservoir to help ecology and support recreation, enhance flood protection ahead of large storms, and protect the water supply. That information will be easily accessible to the public, underscoring DEP’s commitment to be transparent about all its operations in the Catskills and Hudson Valley.”

“Data from the Lomontville stream gauge will provide critical information to better understand the water resources and suspended sediment transport in the Lower Esopus Watershed,” said Ward Freeman, Director of the New York Water Science Center for USGS. “This will be part of a network of almost 8,000 USGS stream gauges across the nation used by water-resource professionals to better manage and protect the resource. This stream gauge will also provide supplemental data useful in National Weather Service River forecast operations at the Mt. Marion forecast point downstream.”

The long-term data provided by the stream gauge will help in the development of a stream management plan for the creek and will enhance the environmental review that is about to begin. DEP has committed to fund the development of the plan, as well as provide $2 million for stream projects to improve the flow and the banks of the lower Esopus. Understanding the flow of the creek will help with the design of those stream projects. The gauge will also complement DEP’s weekly water-quality monitoring of two other sites along the lower Esopus – just above the Sawkill Creek and at the Saugerties Beach – that provide important data about creek conditions downstream of the reservoir.

Online data from the Lomontville gauge can be accessed by clicking here. Data from the gauge in Mount Marion can be found by clicking here.

DOH extends comment period to November 15th

The New York State Department of Health extended the public comment period until November 15th for draft mid-term revisions of the 2007 Filtration Avoidance Determination for New York City. The document covers the Catskill Turbidity Control program, which includes use of the Ashokan release channel to discharge water into the lower Esopus Creek. The draft revised FAD is available for review on the DOH website: http://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/water/drinking/nycfad/docs/mid_term_revisions_nyc_2007fad_review.pdf