The Week of Water

The past 10 days have been an up and down venture - at least for the West Cananda Creek. Last Sunday, the river was at flood stage and according to those that live at Hinckley, the water was spilling over at about 2 - 2 1/2 feet. Now this means that everyone downstream is going to have excessively high water which creates a problem for a number of us. This high water lasted for at least 7 days and then suddenly it was gone. On Friday (4/25/08) the water level was very low in the morning and then in the late afternoon it was back up again. causes one to ponder - who is controlling the flow and what is their motivation?

All week the Canal Corporation could have been diverting water to the canal. This would have been a great use of the snow melt and since the water all ends up in the Mohawk River anyway would have caused no harm. The canal opens May 1st, and a little extra water in the system would have caused no pain for anyone. But instead of "managing" the system, the Canal Corp in their infinite wisdom have done what they always do - screw everyone else and take the easy way out.

Now, the single day up and down can only be caused by Brookfield Power and their "peaking" operation. Peaking means that they only run their turbines at the point in time when the price of electricity is at its highest. While this makes sense from a business standpoint, their FERC license does not allow this and the trout in the river do not do well in the up and down water flows.

Once again, this question is begging to be asked. . . is anyone going to manage the West Canada Creek watershed? Managing, by definition - be in charge of, act on, oversee; watch and direct;
responsible for planning and controlling. Within the parameters of this simple definition - someone needs to start planning for the snow melt and determing a way to lower the reservoir without harming the downstream users. Someone needs to start planning for power generation and determing a flow level that meets this need and also meets the need of the trout and insect life in the river that the trout feed upon. Someone needs to step up to the plate and start proactively preparing for changing weather patterns and making sure that the downstream users are protected. The purpose of a dam controlled river is: A dam is a barrier across flowing water that obstructs, directs or slows down the flow, often creating a reservoir, lake or impoundment; a structure built across a river to hold back water for a variety of reasons, including protecting areas from floods, storing water, and generating power. I understand that the reservoir was originally built to create a water source for the canal, along with numerous other reservoirs in the area. The concern is that the canal used to be used for commercial traffic moving goods east and west through New York state. When is the last time anyone saw a commercial barge moving along the canal carrying goods east or west? In four years in the area I have seen one (1).

The New York State Canal Corporation operates the canal at a deficit of at least $80 million. This number is from Assemblywoman Destito. If she is willing to state $80 million, one wonders what the real number might be. In a state that has the highest tax burden on it's citizens, how can the Governor allow this historic monstrous tax burden to continue for "pleasure boaters". Start charging significant lock fees like the Canal Corporation charges on the Thruway and see how many continue to use it.

This is a discourse for another day - which will be soon. Have a great day everyone.