And the River Cried………………… by Rich Briere

As the founder of the Ahwaga Canoe Club which is based here in the Triple Cities, I’ve taken many people out on the waters of the Susquehanna. In fact, more than 600 members have joined the ACC in the past 10 years and we often paddle our canoes and kayaks right here in our own back yard. This number pales when compared to the number of folks who have taken up paddlesports here in the Paddling Mecca of the Northeast, the Twin Tiers. This summer, with the lack of water available anywhere else that’s deep enough to paddle on, we often have members paddling from Hill Park or Moore Park every day. One week ago, however, I had an experience on that river which has left me in a state of shock.

As we unloaded the watercraft from our cars, I looked out across the water at Hill Park. It appeared that there was, indeed, just enough water to be able to take this 15 boat group down to Campville. We began to put the boats into the very shallow water and I felt something odd; the water was extremely warm. I attributed this to the fact that the water level is so low that the sun was heating it to much higher temperatures than normal. As we paddled downstream, picking our way carefully through the shallows and trying to find channels deep enough to get through, something else became apparent--I was unable to see more than two inches of my paddle in the water—the river was filthy. As a matter of fact, I’d never, in twenty years of paddling this waterway, seen anything like this. It was, in no uncertain terms, GROSS!

We continued our journey and, as always, took note of what we saw in and on the river. There were two eagles sitting in the trees, waiting for dinner. Countless numbers of Great Blue Herons flew off and squawked as we invaded their fishing territories. Several deer had come to the river to drink and eat the grass and vegetation along the bank. There were also a large number of dead fish floating belly-up.  And then I noticed something else that hit a chord in my consciousness. We were now parallel to the Circus that had come to Vestal and I saw several children playing in the water. As if a lightbulb had gone off in my head, I realized that circus folks don’t often stay in Hotels. How many of them were using the river to cool down or to clean up after a hard days work? But again, these were young children, splashing and playing about in this muck-filled cesspool.

I was unable to sleep that night as my mind was filled with thoughts as to what had happened to our river and when dawn arrived and its light streamed through my bedroom window, my wife and I got to work on our fact-finding mission. We began calling folks who would have the answers; the Board of Health, the DEC, environmental groups and the Vestal sewage treatment plant for starters. Surprisingly, no one except the environmentalists wanted to talk about it. The answers ranged from…….”No Comment” to one of the best responses that I’ve heard so far. I asked the following question to a County Health official during a conversation; “You’re telling me not to paddle below the sewage treatment plant in Vestal because the water is highly polluted. OK, I’ll accept that, but how far downstream would be safe?” The answer?  “The Chesapeake Bay sounds like it might work”.

While the answer was pathetically funny, the situation that we find ourselves in is not. Those are YOUR children that are playing in and near the rivers. That’s YOUR river and the animals that frequent it are eating what’s in it and depositing what they’ve eaten in YOUR property exactly as WE deposit what we’ve eaten into theirs. What are we doing to our neighbors who live downstream and get their water from the same source that Binghamton does—the Susquehanna River? Have any of them been told? Warned about possible health consequences? I know that I haven’t heard a thing. I want to know why not.

Yes, there’s a problem at the Vestal Sewage Treatment Plant and yes, they’ve been given a “special permit” by the EPA so that they can continue to dump tons of sewage directly into a river that’s no longer 5 or 10 feet deep as it was when the permit was issued. Several people who should know, and again ask to stay “off the record” so as not to lose their jobs, have told me that as much as 70% of this “product” is often untreated.  The water level is now, at best, 4 or 5 INCHES deep in MANY parts of the river. Put two teaspoons of Kool-Aid in a fifty gallon drum and watch it disappear. Put that same two teaspoons in a paper cup and the results are far different, my friend.

I don’t claim to have the answer to the problem here. I don’t even claim to have all the correct questions. I’m not a scientist nor am I a politician. I’m just a man who cares deeply about his community and the environment that is ours to watch over and care for. The Susquehanna River, YOUR River, holds a great title—it’s the dirtiest river in the nation. That’s a fact which you can verify by going to Google. The section below the Vestal Sewage Treatment plant is the dirtiest that I’ve ever seen. That’s also a fact that you can verify by climbing into a boat and having a look for yourself.

I want answers as to why that is so and how long it’s to continue. I want billboards put up at EVERY access point on the river for miles downstream warning paddlers, swimmers and fishermen about the dangers that they’re exposing themselves to. I want the media to warn their readers and viewers about the tragedy that’s taking place here as we work hard to turn Broome and Tioga Counties into a recreational draw to offset the jobs that are all headed elsewhere and aren’t coming back. I will not accept another dose of “No Comment” and neither should you.

Sincerely,

Rich Briere

Owego, NY

www.richbriere.com    

Canoeing 

One of the great loves of my life, I started out paddling with my Dad in the mid sixties after first being introduced to a canoe at the Paddle-Boat Pond in Look Park. 
 

The pic that you see here was taken on the Delaware River, our favorite flatwater paddling spot, located very close to our home. 

I became quite passionate about canoeing and, to this day, it remains my very favorite outdoor activity. I've found paddling canoes to be the most amazing form of stress relief that there is. Of course, you probably don't have any stress in your life----right? 

Canoeing or Kayaking allows you to see life in a completely different way than you might otherwise and I hope that, should you not already enjoy the many pleasures that you can derive from paddling, you might give it a try. Listening to the music of the Rivers and Streams as they carry you along on their backs may prompt you to find an entirely new method of "getting away from it all".  Who knows, soon you may be sitting in your favorite chair watching Bill Mason instructional videos and learning to enjoy the art of pure -relaxation on the water---paddlesports.