New York Codes, Rules and Regulations › Title 21 - Miscellaneous › Chapter XVIII - Delaware River Basin Commission › Subchapter E - Water Code › Part 890 - Conservation, Development And Utilization Of Delaware River Basin Water Resources › Allocation of Water Resources › Section 890.12 - Coordinated operation of reservoirs during a lower basin drought warning and drought

Current through Register Vol. 46, No. 28, July 10, 2024
(a)
Banking and use of excess release quantity: New York City
					 reservoirs.
Prior to June 15 of each year and at any time the
						hydrologic conditions so warrant, the parties to the 1954 Supreme Court Decree,
						the Delaware River Basin Commission and the Delaware River Master will review
						existing conditions in the basin and shall determine whether or not to bank the
						"excess release quality" provided pursuant to Section III, B.1.C of the Decree,
						as calculated for the seasonal period beginning June 15 and ending the
						following March 15, for possible use to prevent lower basin "drought" or to
						provide lower basin "drought" assistance. Relevant factors to be considered
						include precipitation in the basin, climatic predictions, streamflows, ground
						water levels, soil moisture and other hydrologic date in making the
						determination with respect to the banking and use of the "excess release
						quantity." The "excess release quantity" shall be reserved and placed in an
						"excess release bank" if the parties to the 1954 Decree, Delaware River Basin
						Commission and the River Master determine that "drought" conditions in the
						lower basin are expected or threatening. If the "excess release quantity" is
						reserved and banked, the excess release provisions set forth in Section
						III.b.1.d of the Supreme Court Decree shall be deemed suspended for the balance
						of that water year beginning June 1 and ending May 31. The "excess release
						bank" shall be used, during that water year, to provide lower basin "drought"
						assistance releases to the Delaware River designed to assist in meeting the
						Trenton flow objective for lower basin "normal" conditions, or 3,000 cfs. Such
						lower basin "drought" assistance releases shall be made in quantities and at
						such times as determined by the Delaware River Basin Commission, and directed
						by the Delaware River Master. The lower basin "drought" assistance releases
						shall be made provided that the total combined storage available in the New
						York City Delaware River Basin reservoirs exceed the "drought warning" criteria
						set forth in Figure 1 of section
						890.9 of this Part. The total
						lower basin releases made from the New York City Delaware Basin reservoirs
						during any water operations year under the provision of this section shall not
						exceed the total quantity available in the "excess release bank" available
						during that same period. If, while banking excess releases, augmented
						conservation releases from the New York City Delaware River Basin reservoirs
						are made that would have been credited towards the "excess release quantity" in
						the absence of banking, then that amount of augmented conservation release
						shall be deducted from the "excess release bank."
(b)
Operations during lower basin
					 "normal" conditions.
When basinwide conditions are "normal" and lower basin
						conditions are "normal" (as defined by Beltzville Reservoir storage above
						elevation 615 m.s.l. and Blue Marsh Reservoir storage above elevation 283
						m.s.l.), the following provisions shall govern lower basin operations:
(1) New Jersey diversion.
Diversions by the State of New Jersey during "normal"
						periods, shall be computed as provided in section V.B. of the amended
Decree of the U.S. Supreme Court in New Jersey
v.
New
						York, 347 U.S. 995 (1954)
and its total diversion without compensating
						releases shall not exceed 100 million gallons per day (mgd) as a monthly
						average, with the diversion on any day not to exceed 120 million gallons, and
						its total diversion without compensating releases shall not exceed an average
						of 100 mgd during any calendar year.
(2) Trenton flow objective.
The minimum streamflow objective at the U.S.G.S. gaging
						station located at Trenton, NJ, shall be 3,000 cfs.
(3) Priority of releases.
Releases shall be made from storage to maintain the
						minimum Trenton streamflow objective of 3,000 cfs in such quantities and at
						such times as determined by the Delaware River Basin Commission, and, in the
						case of the New York City reservoirs, as directed by the Delaware River Master,
						in the following order of priority:
(i) Releases from the "excess release bank"
					 in the New York City Delaware Basin reservoirs, if available as provided under
					 subdivision (a) of this plan.
(ii)
					 Releases from Beltzville Reservoir from storage between elevations 628 and 615
					 m.s.l. (73.7% of storage remaining), and/or releases from Blue Marsh Reservoir
					 from storage between elevations 290 and 283 m.s.l. (68.9% of storage
					 remaining). Releases may be made from either or both reservoirs considering
					 wate quality needs in the Lehigh and Schuylkill Rivers.