The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Philadelphia District today released a draft feasibility report on the investigation of flood risk management and ecosystem restoration opportunities in Livingston Manor, N.Y. The report recommends widening the Little Beaver Kill in the downtown area near the Main Street Bridge and stabilizing a one-mile stretch of the Little Beaver Kill. That stretch extends upstream from the Main Street Bridge to the old airport property. The study identified these steps as the most feasible approach to reduce frequently recurring flood damages of the community. The community has been subject to this type of periodic flooding for more than a century.
The draft report has been posted on the websites of the Army Corps’ Philadelphia District and the Town of Rockland. Copies of the report are also available for viewing at the Livingston Manor Town Hall and the Sullivan County Planning Department in Monticello, NY. Members of the public, environmental and other groups, and government agencies are invited to comment. The public comment period will end May 1, 2016.
The report is the result of a lengthy study conducted by the Army Corps and cost shared with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Other key partners on the study were Sullivan County, Open Space Institute, and the Town of Rockland.
A wide range of alternatives were considered, some of which involved streams other than the Little Beaver Kill. The recommended plan is believed to (1) have the best potential to reduce flood risk (2) provide the best return on the government investment and (3) have the most support within the community.
After input from the public and other agencies, the project will move into the design and build phase, which is subject to the availability of funding. The cost of the project would be cost shared on a 65/35 percent basis between the federal government and the non-federal partner, NYSDEC.
Release no. 16-006