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Washington, D.C. - Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) today announced he has successfully inserted language in a measure that the House is expected to approve today that instructs the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to give priority to flood prevention efforts in the Upper Delaware River Watershed, specifically along the Little Beaverkill Creek in Livingston Manor in the Town of Rockland. The language is included in the Energy & Water Appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2006.
"Livingston Manor has been repeatedly hit by serious flooding along the Little Beaverkill Creek, which is why gaining the assistance of the Army Corps of Engineers is an important step toward relieving that community's chronic flooding problems," Hinchey said. "The language that I was able to insert in Appropriations Bill directs the Corps to begin a study of this watershed and develop a specific plan to minimize and, hopefully, prevent future flooding."
Livingston Manor has faced chronic flooding, most recently with rain from the remnants of Hurricane Ivan in April 2005 and severe floods in September 2004, which damaged many homes, businesses and local roads in the hamlet. Hinchey personally toured and surveyed the damage in this area and has worked with Rockland Supervisor Pat Pomeroy to obtain assistance from the Army Corps of Engineers and other federal agencies.
As a result of Hinchey's language in the bill, the Army Corps is expected to begin working with the Town of Rockland and state agencies to develop an efficient and environmentally sound flood mitigation plan to alleviate flooding impacts in the hamlet of Livingston Manor. This planning phase will require a significant amount of new hydrologic analyses. The Army Corps will begin field data collection and analysis, including hydrology, stream geomorphology and water chemistry as well as sophisticated 2-D modeling to assess the flooding potential of key areas and the impact that various prevention alternatives would make.
Town of Rockland Supervisor stated, "We all realized that addressing the ongoing flooding problem was going to be a very difficult and complicated undertaking, particularly at a time of unprecedented need for disaster cleanup and mitigation. Thanks to Congressman Hinchey's proactive efforts to involve the appropriate federal agencies in this project, we are finally making some headway on this project, and I look forward to the Army Corp's involvement in this process."
The Town of Rockland also recently learned that they will be awarded $1.5 million in federal funding through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in order to permit the buyout of homes in the path of the repeated flooding. Hinchey supported Rockland's application for this grant funding.
The Senate is expected to approve the Energy & Water Appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2006 tomorrow. The measure then moves to the White House where the president is expected to sign it into law. The Energy & Water Appropriations bill is one of ten spending bills Congress is required to pass annually.
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