TUPPER LAKE — Experts say nothing could have prevented the record-breaking floodwaters that inundated sections of Tupper Lake this spring.
Data from the U.S. Geological Survey shows the flooding broke a 102-year-old record of water volume for the Raquette River.
Instead of peaking at its capacity flow rate of 8,000 cubic feet per second, the water levels recorded at Setting Pole Dam in the Town of Piercefield surged to 10,700 cfs, the government's data states.
"When it's flowing like that, there is nothing we, or anyone, could have done," said Julie Smith-Galvin, director of communications and stakeholder relations for U.S. operations at Brookfield Renewable Power, which records water data for the Town of Tupper Lake.
She said the town owns Raquette Lake and that the company does the data collection for it and its flow as water discharges from the lake to Low's Dam to Bog River Falls before draining into the Raquette River.
'PERFECT STORM'
The lake has no gates that would control the flow, so when rainfall and snowmelt occur, the landscape below it is at the mercy of the rushing water.
And when the incredible volume of water the lake and river are asked to handle is too much, flooding will occur, Smith-Galvin said.
Tupper Lake resident Larry Reandeau believes property owners and communities can develop a system to identify signs of potential damaging flooding.
"It was the perfect storm of conditions," he said of this year's spring flood. "We didn't have a January thaw. We had lots of snow, and we had heavy rains.
"But I think this could've all been avoided, and it's not rocket science to fix this. You need cooperation and communication."
He said most towns along the river, which starts at Raquette Lake, can control the dam water release and could meet in winter to review current and past weather patterns and snow-pack measurements to see how much water could potentially wash into the region during the spring thaw.
"They could start in January to gradually adjust the release of water at the dams and, by the time the thaw comes, the water would be down," Reandeau said.
"It's a way to be proactive rather than reactive."
HIGHEST RECORD
He said water levels might still be high, but the rivers and lakes would be more likely to remain within their waterways if volume were gradually reduced at every dam in the system before a major thaw.
"This will happen again if we get a high snow pack," Reandeau said. "This should be a lesson learned.
"I've lived on the river for 30 years, and this is the highest I've ever seen it," he added.
The massive April 22-through-May 2 flooding the North Country endured was the highest recorded data the professionals had seen in the 102 years of data collection.
Smith-Galvin said only three times had cubic-feet-per-second volumes been anywhere close to this year's record storms and runoff.
The first time the 8,000 threshold was exceeded was in May 1943 when it peaked at 8,240 cfs.
The next was in May 1992 when it reached 8,360 cfs, and the highest it had been before this year was in April 1993, when the water flowed at 8,630 cfs, Smith-Galvin said.
"There isn't anything you can do to hold back a river like that," she said. "The river has to pass it, and it went into Tupper Lake and down into Colton and Potsdam.
PROBABILITIES
"It's called 'the 500-year flood,' but it doesn't mean it happens every 500 years," she said. "The probability of it happening is one in 500."
By comparison, at other points along the Raquette River and other waterways, the annual flood probability at the Indian River near Indian Lake, the Raquette River at South Colton, the Raquette River at Raymondville, the Hudson River at North Creek and the Hudson River near Newcomb is 1 in 100, the U.S. Geological Survey states.
Tupper Lake Village Clerk Mary Casagrain said a post-event meeting was held with County Emergency Services, village and town personnel to talk about how the flooding emergency was handled and how to avoid or correct any problems that were identified during the crisis.
"There was a suggestion that next year that they might want to open the dam a little sooner," she said. "They think that might help."
Email Denise A. Raymo at: draymo@pressrepublican.com
Vatican in Chaos After Butler Arrested for Leaks
Jimmy Carter Endorses Egypt's Election Results
Biden Addresses West Point Graduating Class
Dozens of Children Killed in New Syria Attack
Raw Video: Activists Allege Massacre in Syria
NJ Man Charged With Murder in Death of Patz
Support, Fun for Kids of Fallen Soldiers at Camp
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station
Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach
CEO Salaries Become Sore Issue in Labor Disputes
