UPPER DELAWARE RIVER, NY and PA — The Upper Delaware Council (UDC) met during their regularly scheduled meeting on October 1 and discussed the Barryville gage, the Barnes landfill, and a proposed Upper Delaware rail-with-trail project.

Barryville gage

The Barryville gage measures how the flow from the Lackwaxen River impacts the Delaware River. It is the only monitoring station for the Delaware River between the Lackawaxen and Matamoras.

During the UDC’s previous meeting, it was announced that the National Parks Service would no longer fund the gage, and no discharge data (measuring the flow of the river in cubic feet per second) would be collected starting September 30.

At the October 1 meeting, Laurie Ramie, executive director of the UDC, thanked Sullivan county legislator Nadia Rajsz for working with the UDC to provide $8,700 in funding for the gage. The gage will now collect discharge data for another year. 

Ramie explained that the funding is through an advanced payment contract, meaning that the UDC may have to spend the $8,700, but is “guaranteed to get it back.” 

NPS Superintendent of the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River Lindsey Kurnath estimated it would cost $10,000 to produce discharge data from the gage last meeting.

“I told Nadia this is why she won the Distinguished Service award,” Ramie said, referring to this year's Upper Delaware Council River Valley Awards. 

Barnes landfill

The Barnes landfill has a long-standing history of leaching toxins into the Delaware River and Beaver Brook. 

“The Barnes landfill is news, and it’s not good news at all,” UDC chairman Jeff Dexter said.

Ramie explained that she had sent a memo to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation asking for an analysis on 2025 reports they had received in regards to the landfill.

“We really don’t know what we’re looking at,” she said.

Ramie added that the Delaware Riverkeeper Network had expressed interest in the report as part of evaluating the Camp FIMFO project, which is a proposed $40 million resort campground development by Northgate Resorts and Sun Communities.

Upper Delaware Rail-with-Trail

A proposed trail site from Hancock to Port Jervis, mostly following the Upper Delaware River and the active Southern Tier railroad was given an update. 

The proposal came from former Hancock town supervisor Samuel Rowe Jr. Ramie said she had not heard back from him since September 1.

“I presume that he’s still interested in advocating for this, but it’s kind of odd that he’s gone silent on it.” Ramie commented.

In an email statement sent to the River Reporter on September 16, Rowe Jr. described the project as running parallel to the current active Norfolk Southern railroad. Rowe Jr. added that the project could help connect communities like Hancock, Narrowsburg, Barryville and more together, rather than having isolated trails.

“This isn't an experimental concept. Rails-to-Trails Conservancy reported in 2025 that there were approximately 450 rails-with-trails in 47 states and the District of Columbia, with more than 1,100 miles located alongside active railroad corridors,” he said.

Rowe Jr. also emphasized that the rail-with-trail idea is simply a concept right now rather than a fully fleshed out plan, and that Norfolk Southern’s response matters most as safety comes first.

“I also don't think we should dismiss an idea simply because it is ambitious,” he said. “Sometimes a project starts with a very simple question: Could this work here? That's where this project is today.”

Ramie said that the UDC Water Use/Resource Management Committee had motioned to take the project back in front of the UDC board to make a pros and cons list.

Ramie added that the Upper Delaware Scenic Byway, Orange County’s pathway committee and the Sullivan O&W trail committee have also since expressed an interest in discussing the project.

She further suggested that the UDC actively work on it during the winter since they are busy right now and only have two on staff.

“I would crack in half if you added that to my plate right now,” she said.

The UDC will revisit the trail idea in December.