Four Republican state lawmakers Friday were highly critical of the EPA’s decision to proposal a ten-year Filtration Avoidance Determination for the City of New York’s drinking water supply in the Catskills and Delaware system.

At the same time, two Democratic lawmakers urged cooperation between the City of New York and the Watershed communities.

Republican Senators John Bonacic and James Seward and Assemblymen Clifford Crouch and Peter Lopez blasted the EPA for its 10 year extension proposal that would allow the Department of Environmental Protection to continue to operate the massive water system without filtration.

Bonacic said New York City has not met with its obligations under the Watershed agreement.

“They do not allow historic recreation uses on city-owned lands like the state does, and that was a condition of the Watershed agreement, and they don’t leave enough voids in the reservoirs during the spring so that when the snow melts and the rains, it creates greater flood damage to our property owners,” he said. “They stifle economic vitality in the watershed area.”

The GOP lawmakers say a five year extension, not 10 years, should be granted.

Meanwhile, Democrat Assembly Members Aileen Gunther and Kevin Cahill Friday urged the City of New York to work closely with Watershed communities to ensure that the benefits of the proposed extension for the water supply flow both ways

“Instead of trotting out the old upstate/downstate battle lines, this is a clear opportunity for all parties, including the City of New York and our Watershed communities to forge ahead in a mutually beneficial way,” said Cahill.

“The proposed 10 year extension of the Filtration Avoidance Determination for the city’s water supply, while seeming to be a reasonable extension, must be carefully evaluated by the communities within the watershed,” said Gunther.

(Mid-Hudson News)