the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Woodcliff Lake NJ, Bergen resident Orlando Miquel asked how lowing water levels at the Woodcliff Lake Reservoir might affect residents during the drought situation, “And this is precisely why Veolia can’t agree with Westwood’s persistent request to lower the water level of the Woodcliff Lake Reservoir. Have you seen the reservoir? Imagine if we had started this drought with a lower elevation.”
Westwood Mayor Ray Arroyo responded, “Orlando Miquel that’s not quite correct. The Borough of Westwood is not requesting that Veolia lower its current, binary seasonal water levels at the Woodcliff Lake Reservoir of 91 ft. Winter – 95 ft. Summer. (Note: Right now, with the lower winter level triggered on September 1 , the level is 86.15 ft.).
Westwood, along with the 9 other towns of the PVMA, DOES support Senator Schepisi’s bill that requires the private utility to incorporate flood mitigation measures in its operational protocols.
We believe the Stevens Institute Study will provide the science to support an approach to their water management that provides for less rigid, more modulated water flows on the run up to rain events.
Forecast Information Reservoir Operations (FIRO) is the approach currently used in drought ridden California as well as in the Catskills region of NYS.
One need not imagine what current conditions would be like had the drought started with the water level lower than 91 feet.
Previously the reservoir was completely empty for 18 months while the operable gates were being upgraded. No consumers went without water for that entire duration.
Furthermore, the FIRO study when complete may find the 91 feet mark appropriate. Or its modeling of vast amounts of data may suggest higher levels maintained during certain periods, decoupled from a fairly arbitrary turn of the calendar page. This in light of changing weather / climate patterns that are not bound by the calendar, or by obsolete, static regulatory mandates.”
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A reservoir is not a flood control device. It’s not very complicated.