The old way doesn’t work

Dear Editor,

Sunday night, July 23, this part of the New York and Pennsylvania border was hit with a fierce rainstorm that dropped an incredible amount of water in an exceedingly brief period of time. This resulted in an astonishing amount of damage in selected areas, including shutting down interstate 17 (86) between Lounsberry and Nichols, N.Y. for a yet to be determined time. The cost in terms of repair, loss of property, inconvenience, time, and scheduling will be immense. The only saving grace is that it could have easily been even more wide spread.

It might be time to seriously consider doing some thing to reduce the threat of flooding in this area, by actually investigating possible solutions to this ever-present problem. Hopefully, that would eliminate, once and for all, the idea that getting “runoff” to the river as quickly possible should be the objective.  

Past experience, however, has demonstrated that in this part of the state sound conservation practices, involving erosion control and water retention projects, are foreign concepts to highway departments. We need “new perspective” to deal with this problem. The “old ways” have proven not only ineffective but also detrimental to the “quality of life” issues of all who live and work here and want to stay.  

They have become a “fixation,” that makes change nearly impossible and are the very definition of “insanity.” Over the years this “fixation” has exacerbated our problems severely and, if not addressed and corrected, the “insanity” will continue unabated.  

Our “quality of life” will steadily deteriorate, as we continue to pour money down a “rat hole” in the attempt to “stay the course” with what has never worked before. Hard to believe anybody would actually do this, but watch and learn. Truth is stranger than fiction.

Sincerely,

Doug Graves

Tioga Center, N.Y.