"We are done" -- Residents near Cannonsville fed up with DEP
By Caroline Goggin
Cannonsville Dam
[2:16]Jul. 31, 2015. 06:04 PM EDTWBNG CBS Binghamton, NY
02:16
July 31, 2015
Updated Jul 31, 2015 at 7:24 PM EDT
Hancock, NY (WBNG Binghamton) New York City’s Department of Environmental Protection began repairs on the Cannonsville Reservoir on Wednesday.
Action News spoke with Director of Public Affairs for the DEP, Adam Bosch, over the phone.
"Everything is showing good news. Everything is going in the right direction,” Bosch said. “Things are going smoothly so far."
Despite reassurance from the DEP that all is well with the dam, some local business owners say they aren’t convinced.
Many are asking how the DEP could let the situation get to this point? Where was the supervision of the dam? How long will this take to fix?
Bosch told Action News he anticipates work will be complete within a few weeks time. Meanwhile, business owners and community members wait.
"Now, us below the dam, are reaping the consequences of your inability to do your job," owner of the fishing shop, West Branch Angler, Matt Batschelet said.
According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the West Branch of the Delaware River is divided into two sections by the Cannonsville Reservoir. Downstream of the Cannonsville Reservoir, the West Branch is a tailwater fishery -- that’s where Batschelet’s business, West Branch Angler, is located.
Nestled in the woods in Hancock, he said this 24-year-old family business has meant everything to him.
His livelihood sits on the West Branch of the Delaware -- the area the DEP has been repairing after a turbid discharge was detected below the dam.
Batschelet told Action News there are 30 cabins at his resort on the Delaware River. But, right now, only eight to 10 are being used. He said his business fluctuates as the flow of water does.
"This business, the land it sits on, and everything we've worked for for the last 25 years means nothing if that river is not there and not managed properly," he told Action News.
Batschelet also said he is confused as to how the DEP can afford to drain water from the reservoir. He said for years, he has been told by DEP officials the reservoir must always remain at capacity -- as to not jeopardize New York City’s water supply. Now, the situation has changed.
Public affairs director Bosch told Action News the DEP is able to drain water because of the heavy amount of rain the area received in June. He said in May, the DEP was just days away from declaring a drought watch -- June’s rain changed that.
According to the DEP’s website, Cannonsville is located at the western edge of Delaware County -- southwest of the Village of Walton and about 120 miles northwest of New York City. It was formed in 1964 by damming the West Branch of the Delaware River, which continues south, and becomes part of the lower Delaware River -- the border between New York and Pennsylvania. The reservoir holds 95.7 billion gallons at full capacity.
Water in the Delaware River is directly affected by the reservoir, as is business in the surrounding community.
"If we don't have the river, we have no industry in this town anymore," Theresa Allen, owner of Hancock Liquor Store, said.
Over the years, Allen watched her business increase and decrease based on tourism -- tourism directly affected by the flow of cold water, which is managed by the DEP.
"This past spring I've seen it [business] decrease by, I'm going to be conservative, 20 percent in the months of April and May," Allen said.
