Judges Gives Esopus Protectors Victory

Noting that New York City’s argument that it shouldn’t have to comply with the Clean Water Act because it doesn’t apply to drinking water is simply silly, a panel of judges upheld a 2001 ruling that penalizes the city for muddying Esopus Creek in the Catskills. “The basic problem is the 80-year-old single intake at the base of the Schoharie Reservoir, which could be fixed with a multilevel intake similar to all the other reservoirs in the city water supply, said Karl Coplan, plaintiffs’ attorney. The Esopus is a beautiful, clear running trout stream that turns ‘chocolate brown’ where the Shandaken Tunnel reaches it, he said.” From the Associated Press.