The potential for severe flooding lies ahead for the Schoharie Valley this weekend.
Heavy snowpack in the hills and the forecast of three days of rain combine for ideal flood conditions, according to Howard and Sherrie Bartholomew.
Both are members of Dam Concerned Citizens, the group watchdogging the Gilboa Dam, which is also the focus of their present concerns.
The Bartholomews want officials to take steps to lower the water level in the Schoharie Reservoir before the expected rain arrives Friday.
“I don’t want to be Henny Penny, running around saying, ‘The sky is falling,’ ” Mr. Bartholomew said. “I don’t want people to panic. But the potential is there.”
According to figures from Dam Concerned Citizens, the amount of water in the snow upstream of the Schoharie Reservoir is twice the capacity of the reservoir itself––and that’s without any added rainfall.
“A thaw, snow melt and rain means flooding,” Mr. Bartholomew said. “I hope it doesn’t come to pass.”
Temperatures are expected to be in the 40s this week, and the National Weather Service forecasts “significant precipitation starting around Friday and possibly lasting through the weekend.”
“They’re saying it’s supposed to be a large, slow-moving rain storm,” Ms. Bartholomew said.
The goal this week is to remove water from the reservoir, thereby increasing its capacity for snowmelt and rain.
Three of the four siphons installed in the dam are draining water from the reservoir into Schoharie Creek. The fourth siphon doesn’t work, Mr. Bartholomew said.
Dam Concerned Citizens want more water drawn from the reservoir this week. To that end, they’ve contacted Congressman Paul Tonko’s office, hoping to get pumps that would move water from the reservoir into the creek.
The pumps––the same kind that helped New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina––would sit on top of the 14-foot dam.
Mr. Bartholomew hopes the Army Corps of Engineers installs the pumps. If the Corps can’t do the job this week, he hopes it happens soon, for the potential for flooding remains into April.
Meanwhile, local officials are calmly alerting residents to prepare for flooding.
“Preparedness is everyone’s responsibility,” said Judy Warner, director of the Schoharie County Emergency Management Office.
“Keep an eye on the weather and think ahead. If you have to evacuate, know what roads to use, when to leave and where you would go.”
Ms. Warner also urged people not to panic.
“By people preparing themselves, they take away that panic and fear,” she said.
If conditions are right, Schoharie Creek isn’t the only waterway ripe for flooding. Cobleskill Creek, Fox Creek and others flood also, Ms. Warner cautioned.
County Planning Director Alicia Terry, who met with the Bartholomews Monday morning, agreed with Ms. Warner.
“Know your situation,” Ms. Terry said. “Everyone has his own personal responsibility to take care of themselves and their families. Be aware of the weather.”
She pointed out that long-range weather forecasts aren’t always accurate. Nonetheless, Ms. Terry added, people should take precautions.
Ms. Terry also noted, as did Mr. Bartholomew, that the creek floods every few years.
“Many people have been here long enough to know that on ething the Schoharie Creek does well is to flood,” Ms. Terry said.
To keep updated, go to Dam Concerned Citizens’ website, dccinc.org.
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Dam Concerned Citizens’ annual meeting is tonight, Wednesday at 7pm at the Fultonham Union Church.
Stephen DiRienzo of the National Weather Service in Albany and John Garver, a geologist from Union College, will speak about weather-related topics and how they affect Schoharie Creek.