In this week's issue of the Woodstock Times, Violet Snow reports that the DEC has (for the time being) rejected the town of Shandaken's request for an emergency permit to dredge the Stony Clove Creek. With Shandaken still recovering from two catastrophic back-to-back floods in the fall, and hoping to avoid further fish-swimming-down-Main-Street incidents come snowmelt, supervisor Rob Stanley isn't happy about it.
Hoping to get the work done in advance of the spring snow melt to alleviate prospective flooding, Shandaken supervisor Rob Stanley says the town submitted an emergency application, but the DEC claims the situation is not an emergency.
“The DEC has said we’re ineligible for an emergency application due to their conclusion that this is not an imminent threat to the village of Phoenicia,” said Stanley, “meaning that the water is not currently flowing down Main Street. It’s only a threat during a flood, and how often do you get floods? Well, we got two 25-year storms in two months. I think it’s pretty imminent.”
DEC spokesperson Wendy Rosenbach explained, “Emergency permits are issued during or shortly after an emergency, within 24 to 48 hours. A standard proposal is more involved. We met with them on Friday, and we’re working to get it moving as quickly as possible.”
For an idea of what it's been like to live in Shandaken of late, check out these videos of the October 1 and December 1 floods.
