Several very dry months, that nevertheless triggered the dread words “flood watch.” Everybody knows that frequent flooding has caused millions of dollars of damage in western Sullivan County, but still no permanent solution has been put in place.

Extreme weather events aren’t new to our area, but frequent flooding is.

Youngsville resident Jim Dirie has lived all his life on the banks of the Panther Rock Creek. He recalls that in the summer of 1947, 13 inches of rain fell on Youngsville in just four hours. The town was hit hard, but Dirie says it didn’t suffer as much damage as it did in 2006, when it received just half as much rain.

What made the difference? Back in 1947 there were four dams on the Panther Rock Creek just upstream from Youngsville. These old dams had been built by farmers to power their sawmills and gristmills, but they also played an important role in flood control. During periods of heavy rain, they would capture water and slowly release it. All four dams were still in place in 1947, but the 2006 flood swept away the last of them. The other streams that drain the Callicoon Creek watershed also had dams in place, but most of them are gone now as well.

A permanent solution to flooding may require something like a return to the past. A 2010 Army Corps of Engineers report on the East Branch of the Callicoon Creek considered whether dams could once again play an important role in protecting our towns, but funding was limited and the study was never completed. New York State, the county, and our towns need to work together to obtain federal and state funding to complete the ACE study and then build the structures that will provide our communities with lasting protection.

Isaac Green Diebboll

Hortonville, NY

[Green Diebboll is a candidate for Sullivan County Legislature, District 5.]