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GOVERNOR ELIOT SPITZER CREATES WORKING GROUP TO EXAMINE USE OF WATER FROM HINCKLEY RESERVOIR

Governor Eliot Spitzer today announced an interagency working group to address the future water supply needs of the Hinckley Reservoir in response to the ongoing water emergency in Oneida and Herkimer Counties.

The Hinckley Reservoir working group, which will be led by the State Department of Health, will examine ways to facilitate communication and water allocation among competing interests and to develop a plan to help the Hinckley Reservoir meet the future needs of the Oneida County community.

“It is critical that we have a plan that safeguards the future viability of this critical reservoir,” said Governor Spitzer. “The working group will bring together relevant stakeholders to help ensure appropriate use and management of the reservoir to meet the needs of the community.”

Members of the interagency working group will include representatives from the Department of Environmental Conservation, State Emergency Management Office, NYS Thruway and Canal Corporation, New York Power Authority, the Mohawk Valley Water Authority and Oneida County.

The working group will examine the issues surrounding the uses of the water from Hinckley Reservoir and make recommendations regarding:

• the water levels needed at Hinckley Reservoir to service drinking water needs, fisheries, power generation and canal operations;
• the capability of other canal reservoirs to help meet those needs;
• an early warning system to communicate drought situations to stakeholders and facilitate their communication regarding all competing needs; and
• a report of the water usage and meteorological data for 2006 and 2007 to better understand the factors that contributed to the current situation.

Assemblywoman RoAnn Destito said: “I have already introduced state legislation to study water usage patterns on the Hinckley Reservoir, and the West Canada Creek to determine the future needs of regional water customers, and the reasons water levels in the reservoir and creek have changed over the past 15 years. It is absolutely essential that we make sure that in the future, the adequate supply of water that we have is always available not only for our residents, but for businesses interested in growing or re-locating here in the Mohawk Valley. Without this guarantee, we are jeopardizing future economic development in our region.”

Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente, Jr. said: “I am encouraged that the state is taking this crucial first step. It’s very important that we follow this with actions aimed at ensuring proper management of our excellent water resources. The recent water emergency has had the positive effect of bringing many of these agencies together to collaborate. I hope we can move forward with this inter-agency working group and begin the meetings immediately in order to reach a solution that will provide quality water to the people of the region and promote economic and community growth.”

Hinckley Reservoir, located in Herkimer and Oneida Counties, was launched in 1914. Its surface area covers about 3,000 acres and is fed by a drainage area of 372 square miles. The West Canada Creek, a renowned trout stream, is the main outlet. The reservoir supplies drinking water to about 130,000 people. When full, it has a usable capacity of 24.8 billion gallons of water. As of early October, however, it had just 5.9 billion gallons. Besides drinking water supply, water is drawn from the reservoir for hydroelectric power, the Erie Canal and West Canada Creek habitat.

The working group will provide an initial report to the Governor by December 17th and a final report by March 2008.