There is no Yin Yang concerning the Crystal Lake floodgates, but a special meeting scheduled for Wednesday, June 19th, 7pm at the Senior Center in Oakland has hopes of creating some harmony.
The relationships between Ramapo Mountain Lakes Inc, residents being flooded by the lake, and various municipal entities have been strained at best for years.
As reported on in The Oakland Journal back in September of 2012, the dispute of how to mitigate flooding in the area was being guided by a 40 year old court decision that gave responsibility for opening the flood gates to the borough, and the responsibility of closing the gates to RML.
40 years later, nobody knew when to open the gates, who to talk to about opening the gates, or who should listen to whom. This confusion led to a situation where the Oakland DPW opened the gates, and then no one from RML closed the gates, and the lake level dropped significantly.
In May of 2013, The Bergen Record reported on a new agreement that appeared to provide a detailed process concerning the opening and closing of the gates prior to any significant rainfall that might cause flooding.
The protocol of surrounding when the floodgates would be opened was the subject of lengthy discussions – especially with respect to to how many hours in advance of a storm and how much rain was expected. One issue that appears not to have been discussed as thoroughly are the protocols controlling how RML will decide when the gates should be closed.
The situation where the two entities control opposite responsibilities has resulted in more of a Punch & Judy show than a Yin Yang relationship; and, hopefully the meeting at the Senior Citizen Center at 7pm on June 19th might result in a more harmonious relationship between the lake association and surrounding neighbors.
Links:
http://theoaklandjournal.com/local-events/town-council-wrap-up-95/
Isn’t the spillway of a Class III dam supposed to have the capacity to pass the runoff from a “100 year” storm?
Since the spillway was upgraded as recently as 2002, any additional runoff created by the completion of Route 287 was known…
Why do routine heavy rains of an inch or two require human intervention?