Dam policy unfair

To the editor, To stem Delaware River flooding, many are calling for a full NYC water system reassessment (both the Croton and the Catskill-Delaware watersheds) to determine the true need for full and spilling Delaware River reservoirs. NYC steadfastly resists. The City simply disregards all requests, refusing to engage anyone — citizen and politician alike -- in a discussion. Upon examination, the city’s intransigence is rooted in its unwillingness to invest in proper water filtration facilities for its citizens. Today, the three Delaware River reservoirs provide NYC with its only source of clean water amongst the 12 reservoirs and 3 lakes in the city water system. The city is over relying on the Delaware River reservoirs. And it continues to act in its own vested self-interest by keeping the three reservoirs over capacity, spilling and capable of flooding. For NYC to tap water from its abundant other sources, it poses the need for water filtration — at an estimated capital investment of about $10 billion. In short, because the city is unwilling to invest in its own infrastructure, it is playing a zero-sum game with downstream communities below the Delaware River reservoirs. For the city to win, the 85 downstream municipalities in N.J., Pa., N.Y. and Del. must lose. We lose by repetitive flooding and the associated costs in infrastructure repair, personal property loss, flood remediation, and human suffering. One can hardly call this fair, ethical and equitable. And the policy makers and politicians that allow this to continue must question their own personal integrity. Rob Benson Bensalem