July 23, 2007
New Owners of Reservoir Say First Priority is Finishing the Work at Hand
Klimasewski: "working closely
with the DEC" Town of Thompson - It was a perfect weekend for a day on the lake. No one has been able to say that on Swinging Bridge Reservoir for almost two and a half years.
The reservoir opened for full recreational use Saturday. That's ahead of the schedule anticipated by the lake's new owner, Alliance Energy Renewables, which is finishing the work begun by the previous owner, Mirant, which found the problems with the dam in early 2005.
Alliance Regional Director Joseph Klimasewski says finishing the repair work is priority number one.
"Our focus right now is on the completion of the dam repairs. There is some additional testing that needs to be done. We need to get the lake level eventually to 1070. Currently it's at 1056. Beyond that, there's no immediate plans."
The reservoir level was drawn down over fifty feet to relieve pressure on the weakened earthen dam.
It's not known what damage that might have done to a once healthy fish population in the reservoir. "We've been working closely with the DEC to address those concerns. We also have some staff people that we have that we're hoping to be able to pair up with the DEC over the next few years to improve conditions here."
One fisherman who ventured out Saturday said he had heard that the fish population held up well, possibly because for two years, there was no recreational pressure put on the large lake.