DELAWARE RIVER NEEDS YOUR HELP, NOW!

Friends, clients, business associates and fellow fly fishers,

Today is a sad day here on the Delaware River. As of 7AM this morning the cold water releases that are the life blood of this fine river system have been reduced to a mere trickle. We all know what affect this has on river habitat and its inhabitants. THE WILD RAINBOWS AND BROWNS OF THE DELAWARE RIVER ARE IN SERIOUS DANGER IF THIS RELEASE PLAN (FFMP) IS PERMANENTLY ADOPTED AS IT STANDS!!!

On September 24th in Trenton, NJ the Delaware River Basin Commission or (DRBC) will vote to adopt the WATER CODE that will put into place the current experimental water release plan (FFMP) that is currently in operation and responsible for this travesty. This FLEXIBLE FLOW MANAGEMENT PLAN or (FFMP) has proven to be anything put flexible and threatens the life of the Upper Delaware River System. The current Flexible Flow Management Program (FFMP) introduced in interim.

October 1st, 2007 has been a complete failure this year in protecting the trout fishery. Temperatures rose to lethal proportions at Lordville, NY USGS gage as early as June 11, 2008. The readings at Lordville often exceeded  (75 degree instantanious - 72 degree continues) the previous trigger located at Hankins 8 miles downriver despite an abnormally cool summer temperature.

The situation in September is even worse. Releases on September 5th went from 900 cfs to 115 cfs in a matter of hours. The FFMP schedule calls for a 115 cfs release out of Cannonsville and will further drop releases to 80 cfs in the West Branch of the Delaware.

This plan has the full support of NYC and will be made permanent pending approval of changes to the Water Code at the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) meeting September 24th, 2008.  The approval to change the Water Code that legalizes FFMP will need a unanimous vote by all decree parties from NY, NJ, Delaware and Pennsylvania.

We all should band together on issues such as this whether the emergency lies in Southern NJ, Florida Keys or Northern Colorado. This is the first outreach of its kind to put together a nation wide response for issues such as this.

Deepest thanks to you all for your help!!!!

Jim "Coz" Costolnick

Border Water Outfitters

MOST IMPORTANTLY!!!WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT - After Reading this Email Please!!!! PLEASE!!!! Forward it to your client base, friends, relatives, fly fishers around the nation and others like yourself asking them to RESPOND IN OPPOSITION TO THE CURRENT FFMP PLAN AND VOTE NO TO THE ADOPTION OF THE WATER CODE!!!!  

Please let your voices be heard by September 22nd to all state and local agencies that include NJDEP; NYDEC, NYCDEP: PADEP; PA Fish & Boat Commission and the DRBC and tell them NO to any Water Code changes and NO TO FFMP

PLEASE SEND YOUR COMENTS OF OPPOSITION TO THE FFMP TO ALL THE ADDRESSES BELOW:

Michelle Putnam - Michelle.Putnam@dep.state.nj. us
Joe Miri - Joseph.Miri@dep.state.nj.us
Tom Brand - Thomas.Brand@dep.state.nj.us
Carol Collier - carol.collier@drbc.state.nj.us
Doug Austen - dausten@state.pa.us
James Tierney - jmtierne@gw.dec.state.ny.us
Len Lichvar - lennyll@yahoo.com
Mark Koltz - maklotz@gw.dec.state.ny.us
Norm McBride - Ndmcbrid@gw.dec.state.ny.us
Pamela Bush- Pamela.Bush@drbc.state.nj.us
Leroy Young - leyoung@state.pa.us
Mark Hartle- mhartle@state.pa.us
Norm Gavlick - norm@gavlick.biz