This is a serious and complex thing that is happening along the Delaware River. As someone who has spent a lifetime with more than a casual interests in the environment, and with regard to our rivers and oceans, I have to concur with Maya van Rossum's statements. I think one can break this issue into three parts, historic river flooding level/flood plains, recent changes in those flood levels/flood plain demarcation line and lawsuits and insurance costs.

Past river floods have given us a good bit of historic data as to where it is safe to build and where it is not. Any municipality and builder that entertains the notion of building within these zones should be doing so at THEIR ON RISK(no public bailouts). It also must be mandatory that home buyers receive disclosure of this risk and the potential consequences(no public bailouts for them at this point either). Historically, insurance and flood insurance has not accurately reflected the cost/risk of living in these zones and that has further encouraged development by all parties, municipalities, developers and buyers.

Today, when looking at a watershed, the devastating consequences of river flooding from development are becoming obvious, finally, to those who never seem to be able to discern the obvious or to predict future issues/trends/implications - i.e. municipalities, developers and buyer - who are not free from some responsibility. This is not rocket science- various folks in government agencies, non-profit organizations and others have been saying for decades that if we continue to build in the flood plan of rivers or along the at-risk areas along the coast, more folks are going to be affected by flooding with devastating consequences. This is exactly what is happening. Upstream and watershed development of housing for residences and businesses comes with large increases in impervious and semi-impervious development. The end result when it rains is that this water is rapidly sent through the entire watershed, too rapidly, and becomes focused at various points. In the Delaware this is Trenton, Lambertville, New Hope and there are other places also that have not made the news. Recent development has created this new situation where the flood levels are increasing and floods are occurring with more frequency. Flood plains are now being re-drawn to accommodate this change. Not only is development in the flood plain continuing, development miles from the flood plain continues at an alarming rate that is also a major source for these flooding problems. Only recently with events like New Orleans and Punta Gorda in Florida have insurers and mortgage lenders started to accurately address the cost of living in flood zones or in flood plains. This is not because they really care about rivers, coastal areas or people per say - it is about profit and loss.

Along one of the local creeks in Ardmore(Along Haverford Rd. in Merwood) the residents were surprised one year when all of the local mortgage lenders made it a requirement that all new mortgages along this section, which is within the flood plain, would be required to carry flood insurance. This has created a situation for the home owners where the cannot sell their homes and the increase costs of the insurance is a significant burden. It is for reasons like this that I think these stories are making the news. Beyond the public interest regarding flooding and the dramatic pictures they create for the news media to report on, it is the long lasting economic issues flooding is creating that has the residents in these zones looking for answers and for some one to blame. Hence, the reservoir issue in NY.