July 8, 2013

CONTACT:

Adam Bosch (845) 334-7868 / Chris Gilbride (718) 595-6600

Department of Environmental Protection Police and Local First Responders Rescue Four Boaters who Capsized in Two Separate Incidents

Four Men in Good Condition after Falling into the Cannonsville and Rondout Reservoirs

New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) police officers, along with local firefighters and EMS personnel, rescued four people whose boats capsized in two separate incidents over the Independence Day weekend. All four boaters were treated by EMS staff at the scenes and were found to be in good condition.

DEP police responded to the first incident on Friday at 7:18 p.m. when a 911 call reported that a boat had capsized on the Cannonsville Reservoir. The boat had flipped within sight of the boat access ramp along Highway 10 in Walton and DEP police spotted two men clinging to the boat when they arrived at the scene. DEP Police Sgt. Thomas Reis, a rescue swimmer, swam out to the two victims to help them stay afloat. He was assisted by Trout Creek firefighters who commandeered a rowboat until additional first responders arrived from the Deposit Fire Department. Deposit First Assistant Chief Christopher Zacharias and Capt. Eric Dermitt, both certified in water rescue, launched an inflatable boat and helped remove the victims from the water. Both victims were treated by Trout Creek EMS and signed off on any further medical attention. The boaters said their vessel flipped after one of the men slipped and fell inside the boat.

The second incident occurred on Saturday at 7:45 a.m. when a 911 caller reported that a boat had capsized on the Rondout Reservoir. Both occupants of the boat had shifted weight to the same side, causing it to become unstable. The boat capsized about 400 yards off shore, near the handicap ramp on Route 55A. When DEP Police arrived at the scene, one of the boaters had managed to get back into the boat and was holding the other boater, who was still in the water. DEP Police Lt. Christian Gallagher and Det. Benjamin Monell swam out to the boat and gave a personal flotation device to the man in the water. All were eventually removed from the water by a DEP Police boat. The boaters were evaluated by Napanoch EMS and found to be in good health.

DEP manages New York City’s water supply, providing more than one billion gallons of water each day to more than 9 million residents, including 8.3 million in New York City, and residents of Ulster, Orange, Putnam, and Westchester counties. This water comes from the Catskill, Delaware, and Croton watersheds that extend more than 125 miles from the City, and the system comprises 19 reservoirs, three controlled lakes, and numerous tunnels and aqueducts. DEP employs nearly 6,000 employees, including almost 1,000 scientists, engineers, surveyors, watershed maintainers and others professionals in the upstate watershed. In addition to its $68 million payroll and $157 million in annual taxes paid in upstate counties, DEP has invested more than $1.5 billion in watershed protection programs—including partnership organizations such as the Catskill Watershed Corporation and the Watershed Agricultural Council—that support sustainable farming practices, environmentally sensitive economic development, and local economic opportunity. In addition, DEP has a robust capital program with over $14 billion in investments planned over the next 10 years that will create up to 3,000 construction-related jobs per year. For more information, visit nyc.gov/dep, like us on Facebook at facebook.com/nycwater, or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/nycwater.