Delaware Aqueduct to be Shut Down October 2022 through the Spring of 2023
Please Attend DRBC – Regulated Flow Advisory Committee (RFAC) Meeting on March 23 to learn more and ask questions
NYCDEP is repairing a leak in their Delaware water supply system which will require the Delaware Aqueduct (the tunnel that conveys water from the NYC Delaware reservoirs to NYC) to be shut down for approximately 5-8 months beginning on October 1, 2022.
This is an unprecedented system repair project that will completely shut off water diversions to NYC from their Delaware River basin reservoirs.
The project has generated many questions among watershed stakeholders about the potential impacts to the communities below the dams and the recreational economy of the UDR tailwaters region.
Please attend the DRBC - RFAC meeting via zoom on March 23 where Decree Party representatives will convene to discuss the aqueduct shutdown project and listen to presentations from both NYCDEP and the UDR conservation community.
The RFAC meeting will be an important opportunity for the public to learn more about the aqueduct shutdown project and to ask questions such as:
How concerned are NYC and the other Decree Parties about the potential for downstream flooding once the diversions from the reservoirs are shut off?
When will the reservoirs be drawn down in preparation for the shutdown, and how can the public be assured that selected draw down levels will adequately protect against the potential impacts of flooding below the dams?
If water builds up in the reservoirs in the absence of diversions, how will this affect releases to the rivers below the dams?
Are normal operations under the FFMP sufficient to manage the potential impacts of the shutdown, or is there a need for a separate project management plan?
Does NYC plan to conduct public outreach to potentially impacted communities and other Delaware River watershed stakeholders to maximize public knowledge about the project?
Are there external conditions, such as drought or storms, that would cause the project to be delayed, postponed, or cancelled?
What are the concerns of the other Decree Parties (NY, PA, NJ, DE)?
Here's a link to the NYCDEP Fact Sheet on the aqueduct shutdown.
Here’s the RFAC meeting information:
DRBC Regulated Flow Advisory Committee Meeting: Wednesday, March 23, 2022, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. The committee will meet via Zoom. An agenda will be shared closer to the meeting date.
To Join:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82673491721?pwd=dkNnVENJblJMeUZ2NTV3U1kzaWgxQT09
Meeting ID: 826 7349 1721
Passcode: 464666
Dial in: +1 929 205 6099 US (New York); Toll-Free: 877 853 5257
Contact: Amy Shallcross, P.E., for more information
We hope to see you via Zoom on March 23!
For the River,
Jeff Skelding
skelding@fudr.org