Turbid releases from Ashokan Reservoir have made headlines in Ulster County for the past year-and-a-half since the NYC Department of Environmental Protection reopened the release channel into the Lower Esopus Creek. Now, the dumping of turbid water has garnered attention in New York City, the beneficiary of the turbid releases in the form of clean drinking water. Writing for the New York Times, Mireya Navarro focuses on how the turbid releases exacerbate the century-old upstate-downstate tensions over the city’s water supply. She writes that long-standing disputes over DEP’s operations in Ulster County have reached a “tipping point.” Read the full article: Muddying of Beloved Creek Is Last Straw for Neighbors of a City Reservoir. Navarro also posted a blog entry about the issue at the NYTimes.com Green Blog: Upstate vs. Downstate: A Slow Boil Over Water Issues.
Category Archives: News
Reservoir Release Workshop
The Lower Esopus Ashokan Reservoir Release Workshop
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
6:30 – 8:30 pm
@ Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County
In their new Kingston Plaza location at 232 Plaza Road
RSVP cbalmer@rcapsolutions.org
Thank you to all who were able to attend the LEWP-sponsored Lower Esopus Positive Action Workshop at the end of January. We are in the process of confirming and revising the priority projects that were identified during the workshop. One of the major activities we have been pursuing since then is the removal of log/ debris jams along the stream. LEWP is helping coordinate a funding application that is being submitted by Ulster County Soil and Water Conservation District in early April. This funding is for debris sites that did not meet the imminent threat criteria required for funding through the Emergency Watershed Protection Program.
For many of you, the biggest concern is with water quality and quantity associated with releases from the Ashokan Reservoir. LEWP is holding a workshop to provide updates on this issue, including details of NYSDEC/ NYCDEP’s Interim Release Protocol; and to document your concerns and identify community action steps. Please save the date and email RSVP to Candace Balmer cbalmer@rcapsolutions.org.
Ashokan Release Channel Operations 3/14/12
The Ashokan Release Channel was increased from 120 to 240 MGD this afternoon in two hourly steps of 40 MGD and one ½ hr step from 2:30 – 4:00PM.
Ashokan Release Channel Operations
The Ashokan Release Channel was increased today from 0 to approximately 120 MGD. The increases were made in approximately 20 MGD increments and one 40 MGD increment starting at 2:15PM and completed at 6:00PM.
Ashokan Release Channel Operations 3/13/12
The Ashokan Release Channel was decreased today from 120 to 0 MGD. The decreases were made in one 40 MGD increment and four 20 MGD increments starting at 9:00AM and completed at 1:00PM.
Ashokan Release Channel Operations 3/9/12
The Ashokan Release Channel was decreased today from 160 to approximately 120 MGD. The decrease was made in one 40 MGD increment at 11:30AM.
Ashokan Release Channel Operations 3/5/12
The Ashokan Release Channel was increased today from 120 to approximately 160 MGD. The increase was made in one 40 MGD increment at 09:00AM.
Ashokan Release Channel Operations 3/2/12
The Ashokan Release Channel was increased today from 80 to approximately 120 MGD. The increase was made in one 40 MGD increment at 2:35 PM. The increases were made in response to additional snowpack in the Ashokan watershed and to offset a decrease in the diversion from the reservoir into the Catskill Aqueduct. The increased releases will help maintain the void in the reservoir for flood mitigation according to the Conditional Seasonal Storage Objective outlined in the Interim Protocol. Turbidity levels for the releases are currently less than 30 NTUs.
Ashokan Release Channel Operations 3/1/12
The Ashokan Release Channel was increased today from 10 MGD to approximately 80 MGD in four steps. Three increases were made in approximately 20 MGD increments, and one increase was made in approximately 10 MGD increment. Changes were made from 12:30PM to 3:30PM.
Ashokan Release Channel Operations 2/27/12
The Ashokan Release Channel was decreased today 2/27/12 from 30 MGD to 10 MGD in one step. Operation completed at 12:25PM.