July 19, 2011
GlenhamL – Chevron is preparing to perform modifications to a dam located on its Fishkill property in August 2011.
The work is being performed to comply with state regulations set by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The project involves the installation of new tie-down anchors to help ensure dam stability.
The project requires the level of the mill pond to be lowered behind the dam to allow for safe working conditions. This does not involve drawing water from the creek, just the opening of a portion of the dam. The creek flow will continue to fluctuate with natural seasonal conditions during the construction period. The stability improvements are scheduled to begin in August and continue through the fall.
A section of the dam is comprised of “stop logs.” These logs were put in place during 2005 at the request of the State as part of a dam improvement upgrade. The purpose of the stop logs is to provide a means to lower the water above the dam as a safety measure so that improvements to the dam could be made in the future should they be needed. In short, the water level above the dam is lowered as the stop logs are removed. The stop logs built into the dam are not designed to or able to be removed during periods of high water. Because work is scheduled on the dam in August, stop logs were recently removed from the dam in preparation for the upcoming work. The stop logs will be put back in place when the work is completed.
Additionally, Chevron withdrew a small amount of water each day (equivalent to running a garden hose for a day) from Fishkill Creek from June 13, 2011 through July 13, 2011 and used the water for dust control during building demolition. Measures are being taken to help ensure none of the runoff from this operation reaches Fishkill Creek. The water was withdrawn through a standpipe located on the property. However, the recent lack of rainfall resulted in a steady drop in the creek water levels such that it became difficult to operate the pump used to convey the creek water to the onsite water truck. As a result, water to the truck is now supplied by metered town water. The water truck has a 3,000 gallon capacity and water usage varied from 1,200 gallons to 4,800 gallons per day.
The company’s use of creek water complies with New York State regulations for groundwater or surface water withdrawal.
Town of Fishkill officials have recently contacted Chevron about the low water levels in Fishkill Creek and this information has been shared with the Town.
