The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced today that the agency is making improvements to its stream flow and snow monitoring network, as part of a recently-announced partnership with the National Weather Service to do better streamflow forecasting.
But it appears the changes may come at the cost of six local stream gauges, part of a regional network of over 50 gauges in the watershed that the DEP maintains in yet another partnership with the U.S. Geological Service (USGS).
The real-time data from USGS stream gauges is public, and used widely by local governments as well as private citizens for planning, flood forecasting, and other uses.
The stream gauges to be eliminated:
USGS 01374654, Middle Branch of the Croton River near Carmel, Putnam County
USGS 01413088, East Branch of the Delaware River at Roxbury, Delaware County
USGS 01421610, West Branch of the Delaware River at Hobart, Delaware County
USGS 01421618, Town Brook southeast of Hobart, Delaware County
USGS 0143400680, East Branch of the Neversink River Northeast of Denning, Ulster County
USGS 01434021, West Branch of the Neversink River at Winnisook Lake near Frost Valley, Ulster County
A DEP press release issued today states that
DEP has also identified more than $80,000 in annual savings by eliminating funding for six unnecessary gauges in its stream gauge program.
On the "improvements" side, the DEP will be installing a new stream gauge in the Lower Esopus in Lomontville -- one of the conditions required by a draft consent order issued today by the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). The agency is also installing 26 new snow pillows, which measure the amount of water in snow packs, bringing the total in operation in the NYC watershed to 35.
The full announcement by the DEP is embedded below.
