fbpx
  • Subscribe & Support
  • Sign up for Free Newsletter
  • Print Edition
    • Get Home Delivery
    • Read ePaper Online
    • Newsstand Locations
  • HV1 Magazines
  • Contact
    • Advertise
    • Customer Support
    • Submit A News Tip
    • Where’s My Paper?
  • Manage HV1 Account
  • Free HV1 Trial
  • Holiday Gift Subscription
Hudson Valley One
  • News
    • Schools
    • Business
    • Sports
    • Crime
    • Politics & Government
  • What’s Happening
    • Calendar Of Events
    • Featured Events
      • Art
      • Books
      • Kids
      • Lifestyle & Wellness
      • Food & Drink
      • Music
      • Nature
      • Stage & Screen
  • Opinions
    • Letters
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Local
    • Special Sections
    • Local History
  • Marketplace
    • All Classified Ads
    • Help Wanted
    • Post a Classified Ad
  • Obituaries
  • Podcast
  • Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Schools
    • Business
    • Sports
    • Crime
    • Politics & Government
  • What’s Happening
    • Calendar Of Events
    • Featured Events
      • Art
      • Books
      • Kids
      • Lifestyle & Wellness
      • Food & Drink
      • Music
      • Nature
      • Stage & Screen
  • Opinions
    • Letters
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Local
    • Special Sections
    • Local History
  • Marketplace
    • All Classified Ads
    • Help Wanted
    • Post a Classified Ad
  • Obituaries
  • Podcast
  • Log In
No Result
View All Result
Hudson Valley One
No Result
View All Result

Cold, cold water: Esopus trout need it

by Violet Snow
April 13, 2016
in Community, General News
0
(Will)
(Will)

Will the structure for releasing water from the Schoharie Reservoir into the Schoharie Creek spell disaster for the Esopus Creek fishery? Trout Unlimited thinks so, according to Ashokan-Pepacton Watershed Chapter member Ed Ostapczuk, who says the issue is not the release of water but the release of cold water.

When the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) obtained a permit from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to undertake repairs on the Gilboa Dam, which holds water in the Schoharie Reservoir, one of the requirements was to look at making water releases from the reservoir to lessen the danger of flooding for residents downstream. With the dam now shored up, the city is building a release chamber that will extract water from the reservoir and send it north into the Schoharie Creek.

The problem is, the chamber’s inlet is at the bottom of the reservoir, where the water is coldest, and that water belongs to the cold-water-loving Esopus fish, say the fisherfolk of Trout Unlimited. Four times a year, the DEP releases a large quantity of water from the Schoharie Reservoir through the 18-mile Shandaken Tunnel into the Esopus Creek. A 2010-11 independent study commissioned by DEP showed that the cold water from the tunnel — often as low as 50 degrees in summer — is beneficial for the trout.

If that cold water is bled off into the Schoharie, the water coming through the tunnel on the way to the Ashokan Reservoir will be 70 degrees or warmer, predicts Ostapczuk, and the result may be fish kills and a lack of trout during parts of fishing season. With the communities along the Esopus reliant on income from visiting anglers, the degradation of the world-class trout stream could be an economic disaster for humans as well as a problem for the fish.

“There’s a limited amount of cold water in the reservoir,” said Ostapczuk. “Recently, a water release from the tunnel was cancelled because there wasn’t enough cold water. Releasing 70-degree water is a violation of the SPDES permit,” the State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System regulations that govern all water releases in New York State. However, as upstate residents know from battling problems with water releases from the Ashokan Reservoir into the lower Esopus Creek, enforcement of the SPDES regulations sometimes gives way to expediency when the needs of different groups conflict.

DEP has a constant balancing act to perform as it maintains its 19 upstate reservoirs to provide drinking water for 9 million city residents while observing the rights and needs of people who live around the reservoirs. Residents along the Schoharie Creek have a need for flood prevention through water releases, and Ostapczuk says his group is not opposed to the releases at all — they just want the water taken from the warmer levels of the reservoir.

The cold water from the bottom, when sent north, will go through a two-mile channel to a pump storage facility, to generate extra electricity on high-demand days. By the time the water reaches the Schoharie Creek, it will not longer be cold. “The cold water will mix with the warm water in the storage facility,” pointed out Ostapczuk, “and it’ll be lost.”

Adam Bosch of the DEP said construction of the release chamber at the Schoharie Reservoir began in early July. “It’s a $142 million project,” he said. “It does take water from the bottom, but we’re looking at other ideas too. It’s a difficult balance, making sure we have the ability to get water downstream without creating problems for the Esopus. We’re trying to find way to satisfy both groups. Just because it’s difficult doesn’t mean you don’t try.”

“We’re not opposed to flood control,” emphasized Ostapczuk, who fears the DEP will not adjust its plans without pressure from the community. “This is not trout versus people, but the DEP is misusing a tool that’s going to ruin the Esopus Creek, based on their own studies. I’m not against the DEP. They’re interested in preserving this area, and I appreciate the benefits of them being here — but they’re wrong on this issue.”

Tags: DEPEd Ostapczukesopus
Join the family! Grab a free month of HV1 from the folks who have brought you substantive local news since 1972. We made it 50 years thanks to support from readers like you. Help us keep real journalism alive.
- Geddy Sveikauskas, Publisher
Previous Post

Justin Townes Earle at Helsinki Hudson

Next Post

Remembering Wilgus’s general store

Violet Snow

Violet Snow wrote regularly for the Woodstock Times for 17 years and continues to contribute to Hudson Valley One. She has been published in the New York Times “Disunion” blog, Civil War Times, American Ancestors, Jewish Currents, and many other periodicals. An excerpt from her historical novel, To March or to Marry, has appeared in the feminist journal Minerva Rising. She lives in Phoenicia and is currently working with horses, living out her childhood dream.

Related Posts

Inaugural Snow Moon Festival brightens February darkness in Saugerties
Community

Inaugural Snow Moon Festival brightens February darkness in Saugerties

February 6, 2023
Dog rescued from Wallkill River’s icy grip
General News

Dog rescued from Wallkill River’s icy grip

February 5, 2023
YMCA bike repair training class returns to Kingston
Community

YMCA bike repair training class returns to Kingston

February 6, 2023
The equinox and the Harvest Moon
Community

Saugerties Snow Moon parade postponed until Sunday due to weather

February 4, 2023
Visit Kingston’s 12,240-square-foot squat, centrally located with wood-burning fireplace
Community

Visit Kingston’s 12,240-square-foot squat, centrally located with wood-burning fireplace

February 3, 2023
Saugerties to host inaugural Snow Moon Festival February 3 to 5
Community

Saugerties to host inaugural Snow Moon Festival February 3 to 5

February 2, 2023
Next Post

Remembering Wilgus’s general store

Trending News

  • Saugerties to host inaugural Snow Moon Festival February 3 to 5 2k views
  • Visit Kingston’s 12,240-square-foot squat, centrally located with wood-burning fireplace 1.8k views
  • Neighbors protest Ulster County Veterans’ Cemetery flagpole spotlights 765 views
  • Enormous collection of historic Woodstock art opens this Saturday in New Paltz 710 views
  • Dog rescued from Wallkill River’s icy grip 656 views
  • Controversy ensues as KCSD walks back Black History Month opt out language 581 views

Weather

Kingston
◉
21°
Sunny
7:01 am5:18 pm EST
Feels like: 21°F
Wind: 0mph SW
Humidity: 72%
Pressure: 30.39"Hg
UV index: 0
WedThuFri
48/27°F
39/37°F
55/30°F
Weather forecast Kingston, New York ▸

Subscribe

Independent. Local. Substantive. Subscribe now.

  • Subscribe & Support
  • Sign up for Free Newsletter
  • Print Edition
  • HV1 Magazines
  • Contact
  • Manage HV1 Account
  • Free HV1 Trial
  • Holiday Gift Subscription

© 2022 Ulster Publishing

No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Schools
    • Business
    • Sports
    • Crime
    • Politics & Government
  • What’s Happening
    • Calendar Of Events
    • Featured Events
      • Art
      • Books
      • Kids
      • Lifestyle & Wellness
      • Food & Drink
      • Music
      • Nature
      • Stage & Screen
  • Opinions
    • Letters
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Local
    • Special Sections
    • Local History
  • Marketplace
    • All Classified Ads
    • Help Wanted
    • Post a Classified Ad
  • Obituaries
  • Podcast
  • Subscribe & Support
  • Contact Us
    • Customer Support
    • Advertise
    • Submit A News Tip
  • Print Edition
    • Read ePaper Online
    • Newsstand Locations
    • Where’s My Paper
  • HV1 Magazines
  • Manage HV1 Account
  • Log In
  • Free HV1 Trial

© 2022 Ulster Publishing