City Continues Flood Control Work On Upstate Dam

BLENHEIM, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) - The city's Department of Environmental Protection, which oversees the water supply for the five boroughs, continues its flood control work on a key dam in upstate New York.

The three-week DEP project will install at least one of two planned "siphons,'' steel pipes that will be used to draw water out of the Gilboa Dam reservoir.

They're part of a $400 million project to reinforce and modernize the dam on the Schoharie Creek in the Catskills 40 miles southwest of Albany.

Once complete, each siphon will be able to release 250 million gallons a day to help regulate water levels and protect against flooding downstream.

The dam has been in service for 80 years, according to the city.

Concern about flooding led the agency to drop the water level ahead of Superstorm Sandy because of damage in the Schoharie Valley from tropical storms last year.

A complete upgrade to the dam began in 2006 and is scheduled to continue into early 2019.

(TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)