Ashokan Reservoir: Stop the mud
After New York City dumped millions of gallons a day of turbid water from its Ashokan Reservoir into the Lower Esopus Creek, we scored a major victory as a new plan to protect the creek was announced.
Halfway along its course through the Catskills, the Esopus Creek is dammed to create the Ashokan Reservoir, one of the most important parts of New York City’s vast drinking water supplies. Erosion from severe storms — which will become more common as the climate changes — causes excessive turbidity in the reservoir.
Previously, one way New York City managed this challenge was by dumping massive amounts of muddy water from the reservoir into the Lower Esopus Creek, which flows 32 miles from the reservoir to the Hudson. These releases were the least expensive way for the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to preserve the quality of NYC drinking water. However, this “solution” only shifted costs and consequences onto farmers, businesses, residents and communities downstream.
The turbid water severely affects water quality, wildlife habitat, and recreation along the creek, as well as adds to the cost of drinking water treatment for communities that draw water from the Hudson. These impacts are only expected to grow with climate change, making the releases unsustainable and unacceptable in the long term.
After a longstanding fight from Riverkeeper and our partners, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) and DEP announced a plan in July 2024 to limit muddy water releases from the Ashokan Reservoir. NYSDEC also announced a flood study for Lower Esopus Creek.
The new mitigation plan
Under newly implemented interim release protocols, DEP will limit downstream releases of Ashokan Reservoir water when it appears visibly turbid, so muddy brown water won’t be released to the Lower Esopus. In addition, the Lower Esopus Creek will be included as part of DEC’s Resilient NY Program, which takes a watershed approach to identifying sources of and solutions to flooding to improve community resilience to extreme weather events. Riverkeeper will remain vigilant to ensure that these initiatives are successful.
A collective effort that yielded results
Riverkeeper is proud to have been part of a coalition effort that has worked for years to find solutions to prevent excessively muddy water from damaging fish, habitat, and communities along the creek. We will continue to work with our partners to ensure that water released from the reservoir is managed to promote ecological health and to mitigate flood risks. We will also continue to assess the effectiveness of this plan and, if the results are positive, advocate for the incorporation of these protocols as legally enforceable conditions in the discharge permit issued by DEC, which is currently awaiting a supplemental environmental impact study to address outstanding issues in its environmental review, including the impact of climate extremes on erosion and turbidity. The groups, agencies, and elected representatives who have worked with the Ashokan Release Working Group towards this milestone deserve our thanks.
The work ahead
Any dam has impacts on the ecosystem of what was a free-flowing stream. In the case of the Ashokan Reservoir, the ecology of the Lower Esopus Creek would benefit from release protocols that mimic natural stream flows, and downstream communities would benefit from protocols that mitigate flooding, when possible. Riverkeeper will continue to work with the community of advocates and governments along the Lower Esopus to advocate for management protocols that prioritize high quality drinking water for New York City while limiting negative impacts on the Lower Esopus. We aim to ensure these measures are codified in the final DEC discharge permit.
Learn more
- Read the press release about the new mitigation plan
- Read community comments on the issue.
- Visit the DEC’s information page on Ashokan Reservoir and the Draft Environmental Impact Statement
- Read the Executive Summary of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement
- Watch The Mountain River, produced and directed by Tobe Carey and co-produced by Mark Loete. Available to rent or purchase on Vimeo.
- Read A Journey Through Lower Esopus Creek (PDF)
- Find more information at the Lower Esopus Watershed Partnership
Press coverage
The Mid-Hudson News: State and NYC officials announce Ashokan Reservoir will stop releasing turbid water
The River: Mud in the Water: The Fight Over Turbidity in Esopus Creek
Poughkeepsie Journal: A proposed project is threatening one of the Catskills’ best fishing streams. Here’s details.
Green Radio Hour with Jon Bowermaster: Focus on ‘The Big Muddy (the Esopus Creek)’
La Voz con Mariel Fiori: Mud in the Creek (begins at 41:00 mark on Radio Kingston) or view on Facebook.
