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TGF Action Alerts 
Letters sent by members to the DRBC in Support of TGF ‘s position on Delaware Flows.
January 17, 2008
Pamela M. Bush, Esq.
Commission Secretary
Delaware River Basin Commission
P.O. Box 7360
West Trenton, NJ 08628-0360
Re: Public Comment to DRBC on the Interim Flexible Flow Management
Plan for Operation of the New York City Delaware Basin Reservoirs
Dear Ms. Bush:
I write to urge the Commission make improvements to the interim Flexible Flow Management Plan (FFMP) now under consideration by the DRBC. As a fisherman, conservationist and member of the Theodore Gordon Flyfishers (TGF), I believe that the FFMP as it is now proposed is only a modest improvement in the management of the valuable Delaware River resource but it does represent a step in the right direction. I believe that the FFMP can and must be improved in ways that will benefit the environment of the Upper Delaware Basin without additional risk to the water supply.
I ask that the DRBC adopt the following improvements to the FFMP proposed by the Conservation Coalition, of which TGF is a member, before implementing the FFMP:
· Adopting the Augmented FFMP proposed by Dr. Peter Kolesar of Columbia University and the Delaware River Foundation that would add additional release matrices to FFMP to set higher release levels when New York City Diversions are less than 700 MGD and less than 600 MGD. These changes reduce spills and provide larger voids in late summer modestly reducing the risk of flooding;
· Modify the flow at Montague, New Jersey mandated under the Decree on a seasonal basis rather than a fixed target; adjust it to reflect actual environmental needs; and manage the flow on a weekly average (as opposed to daily) basis so that river flow does not fluctuate rapidly that is harmful to the river environment and detrimental to recreational use of the river;
· Adopt a more rational approach to decision making including evaluating drought risk based on a range of factors and not on a single “total drought days” factor;
· Improve the FFMP by including additional seasons to better reflect ecological and hydrological factors through the year; and
· Update the OASIS model so that the data set is up-to-date and add new data to the model on an annual basis.
I urge you to adopt these sensible modifications to the interim FFMP. These changes will provide a significant improvement to the environment, especially the world-class Delaware River trout fishery, with no additional risk to the water supply. Thank you for the opportunity to participate in this important process. I hope you will consider my views and those of others like TGF and the Coalition who want to preserve this unique natural resource by working together in a reasonable and cooperative manner.
Delaware River Flow Management
By: Stephen Lieb, TGF Conservation Committee Member
On March 31, 2007 the present rules governing water releases into the
Upper Delaware basin from New York City dams located at the headwaters of
the Neversink River and the East and West Branch of the Delaware River
will expire. The Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC), the body that
manages water resources on the Delaware River, is now considering
implementation of new rules for water management.
Theodore Gordon Flyfishers, Inc., with coalition partners including
Trout Unlimited, Inc., the Delaware River Foundation, and the Earth
Institute at Columbia University, are working to improve the management of
cold water releases from these dams. We all know these releases to be the
basis for the extraordinary trout fisheries in the upper Delaware River.
New York City obtains approximately half of its drinking water from these
reservoirs. The coalition has worked diligently over the past year to
develop a viable policy for releasing water from the dams that provides
acceptable water flows through the spring and summer months to maintain
and improve the fishery in our home waters in the Catskills without
putting New York City’s water supply at risk.
The proposed policy, which the coalition partners call CP2 is based an
adaptive release concept. That is, in wetter years when more water is
available, more water is released and in dryer years when less water is
available, less water is released. CP2 was developed by researchers at
Columbia, most notably Dr. Peter Kolesar, based on hundreds of computer
simulations using seventy years of collected reservoir data, as well as a
fishery habitat impact model developed by the USGS. CP2 provides a
significant increase in overall habitat for trout and shad as well as
improved habitat for aquatic insects.
Like all policies that impact this vital resource, the paramount
concern is to assure that New York City and the communities in New York,
New Jersey, and Pennsylvania are provided with enough drinking water in
the event of a drought. CP2 does this, while providing significant benefit
to the trout habitat in the Upper Delaware basin as well as the habitat
for Shad that spawn in the Upper Delaware. CP2 also benefits the
communities in the Upper basin that have faced devastating floods in the
past few years by lowering water levels at the height of hurricane season
in late summer. Details about CP2 can be found on the coalition website at
www.drarp.com.
TGF and its coalition partners believe CP2 is a significant improvement
over the proposed Flexible Flow Management Plan (“FFMP”) now before the
DRBC. We ask that TGF members support the coalition’s CP2 policy. You are
encouraged to visit www.drarp.com and click on the “Speak Up” link to tell
your governor that this vital resource can and must be protected. Please
do it today.