Reservoir Water Pits Big Apple Against Farm County

KINGSTON, N.Y. (AP) -- Ulster County officials are threatening to sue if New York City doesn't do something about a silt problem in a creek that feeds its reservoirs in the Catskills.

The city uses a section of the pristine Esopus Creek to transfer water from the Schoharie Reservoir to the Ashokan Reservoir further downstream.

At their heaviest, the water discharges can stir up sediment and turn the creek brown, spoiling trout fishing and bothering farmers who use the water for irrigation.

New York City's Department of Environmental Protection has said latest round of heavy discharges that have been a source of the problem will probably stop within 30 days.

Ulster County Executive Michael Hein says that's not fast enough. He wants a change now.

The city and officials in the county have been at odds over the issue since the mid 1990s.

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