Strategy for Resolution of Interstate Flow Management Issues in the Delaware River Basin
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Strategy for Resolution of Interstate Flow Management Issues In the Delaware River Basin HydroLogics, Inc. in association with STV, Inc., ATS, Inc., the Greeley-Polhemus Group, and the DRBC staff Prepared for the: Delaware River Basin Commission August 2004 DISCLAIMER This report by HydroLogics, Inc. summarizes flow management issues in the Delaware River Basin and recommends procedures and technical tools to resolve these types of issues. The report was extensively reviewed by the Commission Staff and the Parties to the 1954 Supreme Court Decree. It is important for the reader to understand that this report does not set flow or reservoir release policy and was not intended to do so. Policy relating to the 1954 Supreme Court Decree can only be modified with the unanimous consent of the Decree Parties. With the assistance of the Commission Staff, Decree Party representatives, and the Office of the Delaware River Master, care has been taken to present information and recommendations in a manner that considers the water rights of each of the Decree Parties, which include the States of Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York and the City of New York. Due to the lengthy review period required for this report, the status of some issues and conditions presented may have changed from the time of writing. In many cases, the wording of this report summarizes existing policy. This is not a replacement for the wording in the legal documents which establish such policy. ACKNOWLEDGMENT Van Dyke Polhemus, a consulting water resources economist who contributed much to the text of this report, passed away in early December, 2003, after a long battle with cancer. Van also contributed to the Commission’s Level B planning effort which supported the development of flow management policy in the early 1980s. As an economist, Van provided valuable insight to improving water resources management. Both as a colleague and as a friend, he will be missed. Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................... 1 I. Purpose and Scope................................................................. 1 II. Background and Institutional Setting (Sections 1 and 2) ................................. 3 III. Identified Flow Management Issues (Section 4) ....................................... 3 IV. The Strategy For Resolving Flow Management Issues (Sections 3 and 4) .................. 4 A. Process Recommendations (Section 3)......................................... 4 B. Technical Recommendations (Section 4)....................................... 5 V. Case Studies (Section 5)............................................................ 6 A. Evaluation of the Trout Unlimited Minimum Flow Proposal for the Upper Basin..... 6 B. NYC Reservoirs Operated to Meet the Trenton Target ........................... 6 C. NYC Reservoir Balancing ................................................... 6 D. Rafting Releases at Beltzville ................................................ 6 E. Temperature Control Below Blue Marsh Reservoir.............................. 6 VI. Additional Products Completed for This Project ...................................... 7 1.0 INTRODUCTION .................................................................. 1.1 1.1 Water Resources of the Delaware River Basin .................................... 1.1 1.2 Delaware River Basin Commission’s Role in Flow Management ..................... 1.2 1.3 Study Background and Authorization ........................................... 1.3 1.4 The Need for Additional Tools for Flow Management Decision-making ............... 1.4 1.5 Study Goal................................................................. 1.5 1.6 Study Area Description....................................................... 1.5 1.7 Study Limitations ........................................................... 1.5 2.0 UNDERSTANDING FLOW MANAGEMENT IN THE DELAWARE RIVER BASIN ......... 2.1 2.1 What is Flow Management? ................................................... 2.1 2.2 Water Uses................................................................. 2.2 2.2.1 Withdrawals and Consumptive Water Use................................2.2 2.2.2 Instream Water Uses.................................................. 2.2 2.2.3 Trends in Water Use.................................................. 2.5 2.3 History and Current Policy ................................................... 2.6 2.3.1 The U.S. Supreme Court Decree of 1931 and the Amended Decree of 1954 ..... 2.6 2.3.2 The Delaware River Basin Compact..................................... 2.8 2.3.3 New York City Delaware System Operations.............................. 2.9 2.3.4 Drought of the 1960s ................................................. 2.11 2.3.5 1982 Good Faith Recommendations .................................... 2.12 2.3.6 Drought Operating Plans............................................. 2.15 2.3.7 River Master (Daily Operations)....................................... 2.16 2.4 Current Delaware River Basin Operations ...................................... 2.17 2.4.1 NYC Reservoir Operations and the Montague Target ..................... 2.17 2.4.2 Lake Wallenpaupack and the Mongaup System .......................... 2.18 2.4.3 Beltzville, Blue Marsh, Nockamixon and F.E. Walter Reservoirs and the Trenton Flow Target................................................. 2.19 2.4.4 D&R Canal Diversion................................................ 2.19 2.4.5 Merrill Creek Reservoir and Electrical Generation Cooling Water Use Replacement ........................................................ 2.19 2.5 Assessing Flow Management Benefits and Costs ................................. 2.20 2.6 Improving Flow Management within Existing Limitations ......................... 2.21 3.0 THE RECOMMENDED PROCESS FOR FLOW MANAGEMENT ISSUE RESOLUTION .... 3.1 3.1 Recommended Process for Resolving Interstate Flow Management Issues ............. 3.1 3.1.1 Review and Revise the Tools and Performance Measures on a Periodic Basis . 3.2 3.1.2 Development of Monitoring and Forecasting Capabilities to Support Adaptive Management ........................................................ 3.2 3.1.3 The Concepts of Flow Relationships, Performance Criteria, and Index Displays 3.2 4.0 FLOW ISSUES AND TECHNICAL RECOMMENDATIONS ............................. 4.1 4.1 East Branch Delaware River from Pepacton Dam to Junction with West Branch....... 4.1 4.1.1 Setting.............................................................. 4.1 4.1.2 Issues and Analysis ................................................... 4.2 4.1.3 Additional Information and Study Needs-East Branch Delaware River........ 4.4 4.2 West Branch Delaware River from Cannonsville Dam to Junction with East Branch .... 4.6 4.2.1 Settings............................................................. 4.6 4.2.2 Issues and Analysis ................................................... 4.7 4.2.3 Addition Information and Study Needs - West Branch Delaware River........ 4.9 4.3 Neversink River from Neversink Dam To Mouth ................................ 4.10 4.3.1 Setting............................................................. 4.10 4.3.2 Issues and Analysis .................................................. 4.11 4.3.3 Additional Information and Study Needs - Neversink River ................ 4.11 4.4 Main Stem Delaware River from Hancock to Trenton ............................ 4.12 4.4.1 Setting............................................................. 4.12 4.4.2 Issues and Analysis .................................................. 4.16 4.4.3 Additional Information and Study Needs - Main Stem Delaware River from Hancock to Trenton ................................................. 4.21 4.5 Lackawaxen River from Wallenpaupack Creek to Mouth ......................... 4.22 4.5.1 Setting............................................................. 4.22 4.5.2 Issues and Analysis .................................................. 4.23 4.5.3 Additional Information and Study Needs - Lackawaxen River from Wallenpaupack Creek to Mouth ....................................... 4.24 4.6 Mongaup River from Swinging Bridge Reservoir to Mouth........................ 4.25 4.6.1 Setting............................................................. 4.25 4.6.2 Issues ............................................................. 4.26 4.6.3 Additional Information and Study Needs - Mongaup River from Swinging Bridge to Mouth .................................................... 4.26 4.7 Lehigh River from F.E. Walter Dam to Mouth .................................. 4.27 4.7.1 Setting............................................................. 4.27 4.7.2 Issues ............................................................. 4.28 4.7.3 Additional Information and Study Needs - Lehigh River................... 4.29 4.8 Pohopoco Creek from Beltzville Dam to Mouth .................................. 4.31 4.8.1 Setting............................................................. 4.31 4.8.2 Issues ............................................................. 4.31 4.9 Tohickon Creek from Nockamixon Dam to Mouth ............................... 4.32 4.9.1 Setting............................................................. 4.32 4.9.2 Issues and Analysis .................................................. 4.32 4.9.3 Additional Information and Study Needs - Tohickon Creek ................ 4.33 4.10 Delaware Estuary and Bay from Trenton to Mouth .............................