State using flood plan

HARRISBURG n Governor Ed. Rendell said the steps Pennsylvania taken to protect its citizens, after three major floods along the Delaware River between September 2004 and June 2006 have been presented as recommendations to a special task force charged with finding ways to reduce the damage caused by similar natural disasters. “Flooding along the Delaware is an important issue to millions of people in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York, We saw this kind of devastation in 2004 and 2006 and we quickly went to work implementing measures to protect the health of our citizens, their property and the integrity of rivers and streams,” Rendell said. Among the report’s 45 recommendations is one to develop a reservoir operations model for the major reservoirs in the Delaware River Basin. This model will examine how these reservoirs can best be operated for the public benefit and help mitigate flooding. “Pennsylvania has invested $150,000 in this half-million dollar project, which is already underway,” the Governor said. “This quick action shows our commitment to use these recommendations in practical ways to better protect Pennsylvania citizens living along the Delaware River.” In the interim, a strategy is in place that changes the New York City reservoir operations to account for snowpack and provide for releases from the reservoirs when storage is above normal. A flexible flow management plan, which adopts these changes for the next three years, and anticipates further adjustments based upon a comprehensive analysis of the implementation options, will be finalized through the Delaware River Basin Commission later this year.