FUDR opposes new release plan

MINOA, NY — In a communiqué dated March 14, Craig Findlay, president of the Friends of the Upper Delaware (FUDR), outlined his group’s opposition to the new Flexible Flow Management Plan (FFMP) recently published by the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC). The FFMP was arrived at through a collaboration of the DRBC with the Conservation Coalition, the City of New York and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and other interested parties.

Findlay argues that a safe release of 600 cfs, as opposed to the 350 cfs proposed in the FFMP, can be maintained in most cases, pointing to historical data and studies referenced on its website as proof ((www.fudr.com)). It also argues that maintaining releases at the lower 350 cfs level “effectively writes off the main stem fishery and, during the hot summer months, seriously jeopardizes the lower West Branch fishery as well.”

Findlay maintains that the FFMP plan relies on unscientific and ultra-conservative drought curves (the formulas used to forecast drought), which place an arbitrary, limiting cap on release options.