GOVERNOR PATERSON TAKES ACTION TO PRESERVE HINCKLEY RESERVOIR WATER SUPPLY

Issues Orders in Response to Recommendations Put Forth By Hinckley Reservoir Working Group

Calls on Agencies to Work Together To Ensure Adequate Water Levels for Important Local Needs from Drinking Water to Power Generation to Canal Operations

Utica, NY - Governor David A. Paterson today ordered numerous actions to ensure adequate water levels for the citizens of Utica, Oneida and Herkimer counties. These actions are a response to the recommendations put forth by the Hinckley Reservoir Working Group.

• The involved agencies will be asked to implement the communications strategy recommended in the report to provide early warning of drought conditions. The New York Power Authority will collect and disseminate the reservoir data listed in the Communications Strategy to all relevant parties on a weekly basis. The Canal Corporation will post the data on their public website and allow other agencies to link to the page on their home sites.
• The Canal Corporation will be asked to investigate the feasibility of tapping other canal sources when reservoir levels drop below normal as part of the Communications Strategy.
• The State will implement the actions necessary to fill Hinckley Reservoir data gaps which will ensure more accurate readings going forward.
• A Working Group Data Archive will be created to preserve the extensive information gathered by the workgroup for use in future planning.
• The Canal Corporation will be asked to provide the Governor with a cost estimate for upgrading canal infrastructure that will enable them to more effectively use other canal sources.
• The State Drought Management Task Force, which is chaired by the New York State Emergency Management Office, will be asked to consider the creation of a new drought region for Oneida and Herkimer Counties and possibly parts of Hamilton County.
• The Planning and Advisory Group will be formed by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to expand on the findings in the Report.

“The water in Hinckley Reservoir services a number of important local needs – drinking water, fisheries, power generation and canal operations,” said Governor Paterson. “Water is not a luxury, it is a necessity, and we must do everything in our power to ensure that we have the resources to meet these needs. I am confident that the actions I have proposed today will help accomplish that goal and I am calling on all agencies to work collaboratively to ensure that all of these interests are protected.”

“I also want to thank the Department of Health for spearheading this working group and all of the members for working together to create a comprehensive set of recommendations to better manage this important water supply,” added Paterson.

The Hinckley Reservoir Working Group was formed in October 2007 in response to low water levels in the Hinckley Reservoir that led Oneida County to declare a water conservation emergency on September 26, 2007, that lasted through late October 2007.

Senator Joseph A. Griffo said: "I commend Governor Paterson for his timely interest and attention to the recommendations of the Hinckley Reservoir Working Group and I fully support the Executive Orders that he has issued. I also advocate identifying a single point of command and control, a specific person or authority who'll direct and make sure that all the agencies involved comply with what needs to be done. Governor Paterson's 'Punch-List' needs to be implemented now so we can navigate future water Concerns with accurate findings and up-to-date facts."

Assemblywoman RoAnn M. Destito said: “I applaud Governor Paterson for immediately adopting seven of the ten report recommendations especially the communications strategy as well as the cost estimate for upgrading canal infrastructures to better manage other water sources in the future. As Assemblywoman for the Mohawk Valley region, I cannot emphasize enough the importance of quality drinking water to our residents. Also, our residents and business community have valued water as an asset to expand and grow. This report puts us on a path to resolve our water needs so we never experience a reoccurrence of the water management issue last fall.”

The Working Group was headed by the State Health Department and included representatives of Herkimer and Oneida Counties; the Mohawk Valley Water Authority; the New York Power Authority; the State Department of Environmental Conservation; the State Emergency Management Office; the State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation; and the State Thruway Authority and Canal Corporation.

On April 30, 2008, the Hinckley Reservoir Working Group provided their final report to Governor David A. Paterson. The report included ten recommendations that will help ensure adequate water levels at the reservoir. The public was given thirty days to comment on the report. Multiple pending lawsuits relating to the rights and priorities in the waters of the Hinckley Reservoir, based on long-standing contracts, preclude regulatory action on three of the recommendations. The Governor will be implementing seven of the recommendations at this time.