Ulster County endorses Lower Esopus stream management plan, committee flags implementation questions

The Ulster County committee voted to support the Lower Esopus stream management plan and to urge state and federal agencies that provide water‑quality and recreation funding to recognize the plan’s projects in funding and technical assistance decisions.

County staff presented the resolution as a memorializing action requested by the department of planning. One legislator who reviewed the plan during discussion said portions of the implementation plan appear not to reflect local conditions and cited examples where proposed bank work would be inappropriate because the parcel is not a fine‑sediment source or because the landowner would not permit the work. The legislator also flagged a known log jam near the Kingston plaza, adjacent to an Army Corps flood control structure, as a project that should be prioritized.

The nut graf: the county’s endorsement is intended to elevate the plan when state and federal agencies allocate funding for water‑quality and recreation projects; local officials asked that implementation recommendations be checked against local field knowledge and prioritized to address known problem sites.

Committee members discussed ongoing assistance to towns for streambank and stormwater work; planning staff said the county will support Marbletown and Saugerties on culvert replacements and stormwater retrofits as implementation moves forward. The resolution passed with the committee’s assent.

Ending: staff said the county will continue to coordinate with state and federal partners to align funding with locally verified priorities and to refine the plan’s implementation steps based on field reconnaissance and stakeholder input.