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#Post#: 1894--------------------------------------------------
Should Perinton Leaders follow in the Footsteps of Towns that
won't learn from their Past?
DIR By: Doug K
Date: December 9, 2021, 11:07 am
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“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”
It's a very famous quote, one that has been changed through time
and rarely attributed to the actual philosopher who said it.
His name was George Santayana, and that "quotable quote" was
written in 1905 as part of a 5 volume work titled: The Life of
Reason: Reason in Common Sense.
[attachimg=1]
And true to form, what Mr Santayana had written in 1905, about
people not learning from their past, still seems to hold true
today.
Take a look at the Town of Pittsford.
On their Town Government website there is quite a bit of
information, and especially how the Town and Village owe their
lives to the Erie Canal. Here's their history page, the first
section that talks about how the Canal really hasn't been very
safe for the area. Then the page talks about 3 major breaks in
the past 100 years.
Overall, the track record of Erie Canal flooding within
Pittsford, and it's neighbor Perinton, has a long history. As
long as the Erie Canal has been there... it has flooded these
communities.
[attachimg=2]
HTML https://www.townofpittsford.org/pittsfordhistory-canal
Now you would think that when the New York State Canal
Corporation came calling on many Canal Communities, about the
UNSAFE CONDITIONS of their Earthen Embankments that makeup much
of our landscape in western NY, Pittsford would have been one
Town Government to heed the warnings being given by those who
own the responsibility to keep the NYS Canal System in good
repair and safe for New York.
And you would have been wrong!
Sadly you can also find this page on the Pittsford Town
Government website, it's called Canal Tree Clearcut Information.
Take note of that webpage name.
This is an image from that Town of Pittsford webpage (run by
Bill Smith) and is dedicated to IGNORING the public safety issue
with unsafe and overgrown canal property, and actually taking
pride in stopping the repair process meant to turn unsafe Erie
Canal earthen dams into NYS DEC compliancy and Federal Dam
Safety standards
[attachimg=3]
HTML https://www.townofpittsford.org/save-our-canal-trees
If you note, Mr Smith and his Town Government have used the
words "clear-cutting" extensively. And they are also "doubting"
the issue of canal embankment integrity and safety. It seems
like Pittsford Leadership is saying the NY Canal Corporation
doesn't know what they are talking about when it comes to
managing earthen dams, or about the safety of the canal and the
public using canal property.
Even in light of a NEW website that explains everything about
the mission to improve Canal Integrity and fix the unsafe
embankments, and spells out the safety issues.
And Mr. Smith and his Town officials appear to be ignoring the
very NYS SEQR Report that they requested in that Lawsuit they
discussed in their webpage.
The Environmental Impact Statement paints a grim picture, of a
NY Canal System that needs repair or else.
[attachimg=4]
HTML https://www.canals.ny.gov/Earthen_Embankment/DGEIS/NYSCC_EEIP_Draft_GEIS_3-12-2021_Combined.pdf
And Supervisor Smith and his leadership group also don't believe
the truth when the SEQR Environmental Report describes what the
FLOOD would look like when one of those unsafe earthen dams were
to let go.
Here is what the OWNERS of the Canal system have said about the
consequences of taking "No Action" on their high-hazard, earthen
embankments that are now unsafe, in the SEQR Environmental
Review:
2.0 ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED - Null or No-Action Alternative
The null or no-action alternative is to ignore earthen
embankment conditions. This alternative is unacceptable. NYSCC
is required by law to perform annual inspections of the Canal
System and maintain the Canal System in good condition, which
includes the earthen embankments.
Under this alternative, trees and vegetation would be allowed to
grow on embankment slopes, weakening them and creating seepage
paths.
The complete absence of a program means there is no active
monitoring and inspections of earthen embankment conditions.
With no monitoring and maintenance activities, NYSCC will fail
to meet its statutory duty and the earthen embankments would be
left to fail.
Under the Null or No-Action Alternative, any earthen embankments
would be left to fail.
Prior to any such failure, there would be little or no
measurable impact to floodplains inside or outside of the
earthen embankments. At such time that the embankments would
fail, water contained within the canal prism would be rapidly
released. The risks associated with such an event are described
in Appendix B.
A breach in a canal or feeder embankment having a water depth of
12 feet is estimated to occur over 1½ hours, enlarge to 150 feet
wide and discharge a peak flow of between 5,000 and 10,000 cfs.
This water would be released as a flood wave that would have the
potential to cause serious damage or destroy downstream homes
and businesses. The most significant impact would be loss of
life from occupied structures in the flood wave path. Other
damage would include buildings, highways and utility
infrastructure within the inundation zone.
In addition to potential loss of life and damage to
infrastructure, most of the flooded lands would be rendered
unusable until restoration projects were completed.
So why would a local Town leader, and Government be ignoring
their own past, not remembering what happened along the Erie
Canal way back when?
Why would anyone in a local Town or Village Government IGNORE
the Canal Corporation's description of what a FLOOD would do?
Is it because Leader Bill Smith of the Town Government is
getting his "facts" from a Facebook Group opposing any tree
removal along the Erie Canal? After all their name is the Stop
the Canal Clear-cut Group.
And Supervisor Smith is a posting MEMBER of this Facebook group.
So back to the ORIGINAL QUESTION asked in the title of this ECNA
Forum Post:
Should Perinton Leaders follow in the Footsteps of Towns that
won't learn from their Past?
I guess that will be left up to all of the good folks living in
Perinton & Pittsford, won't it?
It appears their Town Supervisor may be waffling under the
pressure of that same Facebook Group.
And while you are making that decision on whether to believe the
Erie Canal is unsafe, remember to look UP at the Canal and
Towpath Trail which may be 60-80' above your head, hidden behind
a hillside of trees on an earthen embankment, one of the many
embankment that are part of a Canal INTEGRITY program...
Please look up that word "integrity".
That "hillside" is also an Erie Canal Embankment that a certain
Pittsford Town Supervisor, and a Facebook group opposing canal
tree removal, do not want to call an earthen dam or admit that
those earthen dams are "unsafe".
Because denial is the only weapon they have against the truth
being shared by the caretakers of the NYS Canal System
And sadly that decision to deny canal safety may mean Pittsford
is "condemned to repeat" their past... flood and all.
Just because they chose "Facebook Truth" first... over the
"musings" of the NYS Canal Corporation
Do something good for Perinton... please sign the Petition to
clear the LARGEST unsafe embankment in Perinton at the Oxbow
Lake
HTML https://www.change.org/p/erie-canal-neighbors-friends-help-save-the-oxbow-lake-dam-ask-the-perinton-town-government-to-help-protect-perinton-fairport-from-a-flood
#Post#: 1896--------------------------------------------------
Re: Should Perinton Leaders follow in the Footsteps of Towns
that won't learn from their Past?
DIR By: Doug K
Date: December 9, 2021, 1:02 pm
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If you live in Pittsford, and worry about your safety living
below the Erie Canal, you may want to read both of these forum
posts
HTML https://ecna.createaforum.com/perinton-canal-embankment-discussion/are-our-town-supervisors-breaking-the-law/?message=946
HTML https://ecna.createaforum.com/the-stop-the-clearcut-argument/what-about-safety-facebook-group-website-vs-nys-canal-integrity-website/msg1865/#msg1865
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