New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

floods

Rensselaer County Floods: A Short History

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Remains of the destroyed bridge in Poestenkill Village, probably during the flood of 1922. This bridge was also damaged in the flooding of 1891 and 1938. Courtesy Poestenkill Historical Society.Floods have been a fairly frequent occurrence in Rensselaer County, especially along the Poesten Kill and Wynants Kill and at their mouths which are impacted by the flooding of the Hudson River.

Two whales that ascended the river and were stranded during exceptionally high water in the Hudson in 1647 died there. In 1654 flooding all but destroyed the West India Company’s garden below Fort Orange and in 1666 Jeremias van Rensselaer reported that “fully forty houses and barns have been carried away, among which our house in which we lived, the barn and the brewery, the new as well as the old are lost also, so that hardly any traces can be found of where they have stood.” [Read more…] about Rensselaer County Floods: A Short History

Rivers, Wetlands and Floodwaters

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TOS_wetlandsOne spring, following heavy rain, I visited the Saint Michael’s College Natural Area in Vermont hoping to capture exciting photographs of the rushing Winooski River. Rather than raging floodwaters, however, I found the river’s floodplain was efficiently – and slowly – accommodating the onslaught of rainwater. [Read more…] about Rivers, Wetlands and Floodwaters

How Hudson River Floods Helped Create Great Sacandaga Lake

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1913 Flood takes out bridge at South Glens FallsBefore the 20th century, the upper Hudson River was used commercially as a conduit to ship logs downstream to the mills along the river. Logs were stored in pens, behind temporary dams, and at streamside log landings until the spring melt increased the flow of the river – known as the spring freshet. When the flow rate was right, the the logs were sent careening downstream to the mills. [Read more…] about How Hudson River Floods Helped Create Great Sacandaga Lake

State Awards Mohawk River Watershed Grants for Flooding, Wildlife

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Mohawk River Watershed map courtesy DECNew York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced funding for seven projects throughout the Mohawk River watershed.

The grants, supported by the State’s Environmental Protection Fund, will help reduce flood risks and bolster resiliency, improve stewardship and stakeholder engagement, and protect fish, wildlife, and associated aquatic and riparian habitats in the watershed. [Read more…] about State Awards Mohawk River Watershed Grants for Flooding, Wildlife