Give the science a chance

New York City water supply officials have cut down the expressed ideal of Friends of the Upper Delaware.

In recent articles published in national newspapers, Michael Principe, New York City’s deputy commissioner of the Bureau of Water Supply, has said there is simply not enough water to release 600 cubic feet per second from the Cannonsville Reservoir, which the Friends believe would create an optimum fishery on the West Branch River.

Whether Principe’s assessment is correct has yet to be determined. Indeed, all hypotheses circulating about the future of the Upper Delaware fishery, including the Friends’ 600 cubic feet per second (cfs) proposal, have yet to be tested.

The important thing to realize is that a process of inquiry has begun. Even before the three-year Interim Fishery Management Plan has run its course, people with opposing views will be sitting at the same table to debate the future management of Upper Delaware reservoirs.

The Delaware River has become the subject of an experiment that will test perceived limits of the relationship between natural habitat and large-scale public water supply. It is, without a doubt, one of the most impressive experiments in the river basin’s history.

We look forward to seeing who will prove their good faith when the information is in and the tough decisions need to be made.

Fishery advocates will probably be fighting for more water eternally, and we applaud their work, including that of the Friends. But by calling the current experiment a detriment to the river, the Friends are overlooking the interim plan’s essential value, which is its potential to bring the best science to the decision-making process—a process that will involve a good representation of perspectives.

Let us not forget that any long-term plan will require unanimous approval of all parties listed in the U.S. Supreme Court decree of 1954: New York State, the City of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware.

Let us not forget the importance of establishing rapport with each of these parties as we look to determine the best management plan for flows and releases.

The most important part to play in the interim, as the Friends will agree, is that of protecting the fish that are there. Watchdogs who check the Department of Environmental Conservation’s management of the interim plan’s flow and thermal targets will be invaluable.

Following meetings between local chapters of Trout Unlimited (TU) in April and May, organized by TU Catskill Coordinator Rocci Aguirre, the New York State Council of TU began to take a stronger advocacy stance, expressing the view that the interim plan will lead in the direction of protecting trout and the river ecosystem on which they depend.

As Aguirre said, the most important elements that TU pushed for as the interim plan was being drafted were proper management of the three tailwaters (the West Branch, East Branch and Neversink Rivers), increasing the bank of water available for habitat conservation and drought protection.

“TU would not take any position that would put any part of the fishery at risk,” Aguirre said.

Amen to that!

Dr. Punnybone

France's Bacon