SWP Home

Please use the links provided to access information on the SWP, its projects, and watershed issues

Josh Gorman

Education & Outreach Coordinator

E-mail: Josh@gcswcd.com

Schoharie Watershed Program

PO Box 996, 6049 Main Street

Tannersville, NY 12485

Phone 518-589-6871

Fax 518-589-6874

Michelle Yost

Watershed Assistance Program Coordinator

E-mail: Michelle@gcswcd.com

GCSWCD Main Office

907 County Office Building

Cairo, NY 12413

Phone 518.622.3620

Fax 518.622.0344

GCSWCD Home Page

Schoharie Watershed Program

A program of Greene County Soil and Water Conservation District

Why a Watershed Assistance Program

Text Box: A Brief History of the Schoharie Watershed Assistance Program Since 1989, communities within the New York City Watershed have found themselves facing an increasingly complex series of rules, regulations and program initiatives focused on protecting New York City’s water supply. The NYC water supply is unfiltered, with the City having a Filtration Avoidance Determination (FAD) which is issued on five year cycles by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The FAD relies on a complex assemblage of watershed rules and regulations, as well as voluntary watershed protection programs, to help NYC maintain the current high quality in its reservoir system. In 2002, at the request of the Greene County Mountaintop Supervisors and Mayors Association (MSMA), the Greene County Legislature provided funding to the Greene County Soil & Water Conservation District (GCSWCD) to develop a program that that would assist municipalities as well as watershed residents with issues related to the NYC watershed. The Watershed Assistance Program (WAP) was established as a program within the GCSWCD, with the MSMA and Greene County Legislature acting as program advisors. The WAP places a high priority on integration of all watershed programs, and takes a very proactive approach to watershed management.

Map of the Schoharie Watershed from catskillstreams.org

Click map for a larger view

What Does the SWP Do?

The Schoharie Watershed Program (SWP) provides a wide range of services including education and outreach, watershed planning, and water quality or stewardship project design and implementation. The SWP serves a key role in the facilitation of local, state, and federal programs, and works in partnership with municipal leaders, residents as well as a wide range of agencies and organizations. Watershed stakeholders that require assistance with issues related to the NYC watershed rules and regulations, or natural resource problems, should contact the SWP to determine what types of help may be available.

The Schoharie Reservoir Watershed: The Focus of GCSWCD

The Schoharie Watershed basin is 314 square miles and spans 13 municipalities and 3 counties in the northeast Catskill Mountains. It is part of New York City’s Water supply. The Schoharie Reservoir is in the northern most part of the city’s water system where the communities are predominantly rural. Outdoor-based tourism, such as skiing, hiking, fishing, and biking, and the myriad businesses that rely on tourists and second homeowners, is a significant part of the local economy.

When the Memorandum of Agreement between NYC, the USEPA and the upstate communities was signed in 1997, it established a host of programs and regulations designed to minimize degradation of the water supply. A key component of these Watershed Partnership and Protection Programs focused on assessment of stream systems and the development of detailed Stream Management Plans on a sub-basin scale. Since 1997, the Greene County Soil & Water Conservation District (GCSWCD) has worked in partnership with NYC Dept. of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) to develop comprehensive Stream Management Plans (SMP) in all primary sub-basins to the Schoharie reservoir.

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