The Rural Voice, 2003-05, Page 43York City.
The often -rocky relationship
between the rural residents in a five -
county area at the headwaters of the
Delaware River in the Catskill
Mountains dates back a century to
when the state granted the city the
right to oversee and regulate upstate
watershed in 1906. When the city
built the Catskill system of
reservoirs in the 1920-1930
era, relations between the
city and the rural residents
began to deteriorate. The
city expropriated land for the
reservoirs, often paying
below market value and
sometimes forcing entire
hamlets and surrounding
farms to move from the
valleys to the hillsides.
Another round of
antagonism arose in the
1950-1960 period when the
Delaware system of reservoirs was
constructed. Hard feelings were
made worse by the city's delay in
compensating landowners,
sometimes forcing them into debt.
During New York City's financial
crisis in the 1970s and 1980s, it
broke promises to maintain bridges
and roads around the reservoirs.
he city owns 1,584 square
T
miles of the Catskill region
and many watershed residents
believe the city is not paying its fair
share of the local property tax
burden. In the 1960s the city was
paying a third of the taxes in rural
Delaware County but by 1990,
despite increases in property values,
the city's share had declined to 15
per cent. This created anger in a
region where the median household
income in 1989 was less than 75 per
cent of the state average. The county
is the third poorest county in the
state.
Both village residents and farmers
are suffering in the area, Brunette
said. Urbanites are moving into the
area and driving up the price of land
and assessments which Leads to
higher taxes. Poor milk prices are
hurting the dairy farmers ability to
pay the bills.
New York has a vested interest in
the purity of the water coming from
the Catskill region. Under the
Environmental Protection Agency
cities must filter their water unless
they can meet stringent rules for
protecting the water source. In New
York's case it was estimated it would
cost $5-$8 billion to built a facility to
filter all the water from the Catskill -
Delaware reservoirs, plus $1 million
a day for operating costs. City
residents balked at the potential costs
and city officials began looking
on the land they still owned under an
updating of watershed regulations
released by the city in 1990. Dairy
and livestock farmers sought the help
of various local, state and federal
agencies, leading to the formation of
an Ad Hoc Task Force on
Agriculture and New York City
Watershed Regulations.
The group met for a year to
find a way to both protect the
water supply and sustain the
economic viability of
farmers in the region.
The result, late in 1991,
was a compromise called the
Watershed Agricultural
Council to which New York
City paid $4 million to
develop whole farm plans
with 10 pilot farms between
1992 and 1994. When this
seemed successful a second
phase was set up with New
York pledging $35.2 million to
expand the whole farm planning to
include at least 85 per cent of all
farms in the watershed. It was a lot of
money, but a fraction of what it
would cost New York if the water
supply wasn't kept at such a high
quality.
The mountainous terriln makes best managem
practices essential
upstate for the solution, prepared to
impose more strict regulations on the
owners of the land that feed the
reservoir system.
Naturally the landowners, with
their past unhappy experiences with
the city, were not thrilled to be told
there would be tighter requirements
Dave Hocking
Your Provincial Liberal Candidate
In Bruce, Grey and Owen Sound Riding
Has dedicated himself to listening to, and learning
the unique and profound issues on the farm and in
the agricultural community. He is an advocate for
the enhanced prosperity of the farmer,
and the farm family.
Dave has served as a community
leader in Bruce and Grey Counties
for the past 3 decades:
• teacher and Secondary School
Principal
• lead fundraiser - Hanover
Aquatic Centre; new medical
clinic
• municipal councillor - 9 years;
Hanover
• Director and Chair - Hanover
and District Hospital Board
• a fresh new look
• a voice of reason
• a commitment to
community values
• a passion for Bruce and
Grey Counties
Authorized by G Lewis. CFO, Bruce Grey 0 S Liberal Party Ontario
MAY 2003 39