Swinging Bridge opens 55 days ahead of schedule

Marina owner credits energy company for prompt action

By FRITZ MAYER

SWINGING BRIDGE RESERVOIR, NY — The waters of the Swinging Bridge Reservoir were once again split by churning propeller blades, as the storied lake, the largest in Sullivan County, was once again open for business. Alliance Energy Renewables, the company that now owns the reservoir, hosted a welcoming picnic for returning boaters on July 22 at the Swinging Bridge Marina.

Pat Croissant, who, with her husband Bill, owns the marina, had high praise for Alliance and the company’s efforts to reach out to them and open the reservoir in a timely manner. She and other members of her family said Alliance had been much more helpful than local lawmakers in getting their business up and running.

The Croissants put enough docks in the water to accommodate about 20 boats where they would normally have room for up to 100. Croissant said this season was almost a total loss, as were the last two, because most people who would have moored at the marina had already chosen other locations for the summer. But she was optimistic that activity would be back to previous levels by next season.

The reservoir has been off-limits to all pleasure boats and personal water craft since May of 2002. At that time, officials discovered a 40-foot sink hole in the dam at the reservoir. As a result, the water level was lowered by 55 feet to ensure that the dam did not fail. New York-Gen Mirant, which then owned the reservoir and was responsible for the safety of the dam, initially promised residents that the water levels would be restored within a year. But as the company struggled with bankruptcy, and the problem was found to be more serious than at first believed, the date was pushed back.

The water level is still about 14 feet below the desired level, but the remaining footage should be filled within the next six weeks or so.

Joseph Klimaszewski, a regional director for Alliance, said his company was able to come in ahead of the deadline set by Mirant because it took a different approach. There are two power generating stations at the Swinging Bridge Dam. Klimaszewski said rather than try to repair the one that had caused the sink hole, the company chose to fill the pipes through which the water ran with cement. That power generating station is now unusable and Klimaszewski said the company was uncertain whether it will seek to revive that station.

The company also owns four generating power stations at Mongaup Falls Reservoir. According to Klimaszewski, only one of those is currently operational, and the other three are under repair. The four power stations at the Rio Reservoir are all working.

In the purchase from Mirant, the company also acquired the Toronto Reservoir and Cliff Lake, which have no power generating plants, but which feed the other reservoirs.

When Swinging Bridge was closed to the public, so were Mongaup Falls and Rio, but no reopening date has yet been set for those reservoirs.

Alliance is seeking to have the assessments of its holding in Sullivan County lowered by about $16 million, which would have a significant impact on the tax revenue of the county and the towns of Thompson, Bethel, Lumberland and Forestburgh, which has led to a looming legal tussle between the towns and Alliance.

Legislator Sam Wohl was the only local politician to put in an appearance at the picnic. He said he came because Alliance was responding to the desires and needs of the residents with the re-opening of the reservoir.