CNY legislators seek to address flooding in Cayuga, upstate counties

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A report issued by the Upstate Flood Mitigation Task Force is the basis for legislation to address flooding that has affected communities in Cayuga County and others within the Oswego River/Finger Lakes Watershed. 

A bill introduced by state Sen. John Mannion and Assemblyman Al Stirpe would adopt one of the task force's recommendations to map the watershed using the Hydrologic Engineering Center River Analysis System. The mapping technique is used by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 

The legislation would also establish the Oswego River Basin Authority to manage water flows and discharges. 

"Big problems like persistent flooding in upstate communities require big solutions," Mannion, D-Geddes, said. "Creating an authority will centralize water and discharge management across the 5,000-square-mile Oswego River Watershed. Deploying advanced mapping and modeling techniques will give us a new understanding of the watershed and that knowledge can be applied to flood mitigation, environmental conservation, agriculture and recreational uses." 

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