According to a press release issued by DEC, on March 6th Environmental Conservation Officer Tabor was dispatched to the Black River where Forestport residents noticed the flowing waters of the river had stopped and pools of water appeared to be drying up.
ECO Tabor interviewed several individuals and determined the Forestport Reservoir’s hydroelectric dam had a broken sensor, which caused the water control system to malfunction and divert much of the reservoir water into the adjacent Black River Canal. Fortunately, the water reentered the river approximately one-quarter mile downstream without causing any significant issues.
A contractor manually fixed the gates to restore water flow to the Black River and a more extensive fix under the oversight of DEC’s Dam Safety Section and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is underway.
Photo of low water levels at the Black River after sensor failure provided by DEC.
Leave a Reply