Low water on reservoir lakes

Officials fear tax impact

By FRITZ MAYER

BETHEL, NY - Water levels in the large reservoirs that deliver drinking water to New York City are above average at the present and have been so for the past few months. At the same time, water levels on the reservoirs that generate electricity for Alliance Energy Renewables are very low, and have been since the fall.

The levels on the Toronto and the Swinging Bridge reservoirs have become a concern for officials in the Town of Bethel. On January 28, the town board passed a resolution to send a five-page letter to the commissioner of the New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), the governor and many other public officials outlining their concerns.

The letter charges Alliance with not complying with agreements made by previous owners of the reservoirs regarding providing recreational opportunities. The letter says the Toronto has been drawn down so low that the surface area is 150 to 200 acres less than usual, so low that the fish population won’t survive. It further says the club that has traditionally stocked the reservoir “will no longer do so given the futility of stocking a reservoir that is being drained to environmentally unsound extremes.”

Another major concern for the town is tax revenue from lakeshore properties along the two reservoirs. Taxes from homes on the reservoirs represent a large percent of the real estate revenues for the town. In 2005, when the Swinging Bridge was drained to repair the dam, the town lowered tax assessments by 25 percent because the property owners no longer had lakefront homes and access to the reservoir. They are concerned that they might have to do the same thing again and lose millions of dollars in tax revenue.

Finally, the letter draws a connection between the reservoir levels and the continuing litigation over the tax assessment of the reservoirs between the company and Bethel and other towns. It says, “Some have suggested that the business practices of Alliance are merely a ploy in such litigation. If true, such actions by Alliance would represent an unconscionable assault on our town, our sportsmen and our environment.”

A spokesman for Alliance said in a lengthy email to The River Reporter that the company had no knowledge of the letter.

The spokesman, Joseph Klimaszewski, Jr., vice president of operations and new development, noted that the company had returned the Swinging Bridge to recreational use ahead of schedule in 2007, and there was plenty of water for recreational purposes in 2008 and, as long as favorable conditions continue, the company looked forward to the same in 2009.

He added, however, “the current levels in the Swinging Bridge and Toronto Reservoirs are well within the limitations established by Federal Power Act license which governs this project… . The water in these reservoirs is used to satisfy many obligations throughout the valley throughout the course of the year, including the preservation of the ecosystem within the Mongaup Valley, the maintenance of bass and trout fisheries, providing whitewater rafting and kayaking opportunities in the area below Rio and other recreational uses, and green hydroelectric generation.

“There are times when it is necessary for us to perform maintenance activities on these projects throughout the year to ensure the safety of the public and the continued successful operation of the projects. We make every effort to schedule maintenance that may require reductions in water levels to occur during the non-recreational season to minimize the impact on the community… .”

Bill Rudge, the natural resources director for DEC Region Three, said the water levels at the Toronto have historically fluctuated. He said that the Toronto is utilized to ensure that the other reservoirs downstream have enough water, so the Toronto is the first reservoir to recede when more water is needed downstream.

During the years 2005 to 2007, the Toronto was relatively stable because the downstream reservoir levels were lowered to facilitate work on the dam at the Swinging Bridge reservoir, and water from the Toronto was not needed. Rudge suggested that residents who bought lakefront homes during that time may have thought those conditions would remain. Instead, typical reservoir management practices returned.

Rudge said Alliance is meeting all of the required reservoir levels.