Outlines for short- and long-term plans to prevent future flooding in Orange County”™s black dirt region presented during a summit last week were encouraging, farmers in attendance said.
In a continuing effort to seek solutions to prevent flooding, farmers met again last week with local, state and federal government and agency representatives during a summit sponsored by Rep. John Hall, D-Dover Plains. It was the latest of several such meetings that have been conducted since an April 2007 nor”™easter and the subsequent flooding caused by it in the area.
One immediate outcome of the meeting is that Hall and Orange County Executive Edward Diana pledged to find funding for two gauges to monitor the Wallkill River. Hall said he would seek federal funding to split the $150,000 cost of the gauges.
“I think it”™s a good step, and it will be helpful for monitoring future flood events,” said onion grower Paul Ruszkiewicz, chairman of the Wallkill Valley Drainage Improvement Association. The gauges would be helpful in monitoring stream flow and water depth, he said.
Ruszkiewicz said the excessive flooding in April could be partially responsible for bank erosion along the Wallkill River.
Also, he said, in 1938 the Army Corps of Engineers started a project to improve drainage along the river but it was never completed due to a lack of funding. Since he has been involved with the Drainage Improvement Association, Ruszkiewicz said there has been talk from the state”™s federal representatives about providing funding to finish the project, but nothing has yet materialized.
The Army Corps said it would release a “reconnaissance study” of the Wallkill River Watershed, with possible recommendations.
Any long-term solution would depend on securing federal and local funding, Ruszkiewicz said. Since the river begins in New Jersey, officials in that state would also have to take part in any permanent solutions.
“We would need to do some sort of major project to have a permanent fix to this,” he said.
Ruszkiewicz said another issue is debris buildup in the river, such as from downed tree limbs. There has been some frustration here, as local residents must go through the DEC to get permits to remove the debris.
DEC Region 3 Director William Janeway said at the meeting the agency would simplify the permit process and create “emergency permits” so debris can be removed immediately when needed.
Orange County onion farmer Chris Pawelski said the April flood was the third “50-year flood” the region has experienced in less than three years. “This shouldn”™t have happened because of six inches of rain,” he said.
Pawelksi said he lost, either directly or indirectly, 34 acres of crops because of the April flood.
He said the meeting was encouraging: “Everyone seemed to be very serious.”
Hall said he would conduct similar meetings periodically to provide updates from the federal level.
