Ashokan Reservoir Release Channel Activated Due to Heavy Rainfall

Unprecedented rainfall in the past two weeks have led to water levels in the Ashokan Reservoir, found in New York state, rising above capacity, said NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Paul Rush in a statement released yesterday.

In consultation with the town of Ulster, N.Y. and the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation, the DEP has activated the Ashokan Reservoir Release Channel as a precaution for future heavy rainfall.

The activation of the release channel is a preventative step in response to the after effects of Hurricane Irene and subsequent storms on the reservoir system. The releases—which will ramp up to 600 mgd—will reduce the elevation of the Ashokan Reservoir, increasing the reservoir's ability to capture runoff by creating a void in the west basin.

This step provides enhanced flood protection for communities south of the reservoir along the lower Esopus Creek. This will also provide an additional benefit of protecting water quality by reducing the amount of spillage from the more turbid west basin into the higher quality east basin, thereby protecting the drinking water of approximately 8.4 million New York City residents and the roughly 160,000 residents of towns that rely on the connecting Catskill Aqueduct.

Source: NYC Department of Environmental Protection