New York Laws
Title 21 - River Regulation by Storage Reservoirs
15-2119 - Procedure for Construction of Reservoirs.

1. Preliminary plans, specifications, maps, statements and estimates
are required as follows:

a. If the board shall determine as a part of the official plan or
before the official plan has been prepared that the public interest or
welfare requires that a reservoir should be constructed for the
regulation of the flow of a river or rivers, stream or streams of the
district, it shall cause to be prepared preliminary plans and
specifications of such reservoir with estimates of the total cost
thereof together with a survey of the lands upon which the same is to be
constructed, giving the location thereof, and of all lands to be taken,
flowed or damaged, with a description by survey or otherwise, showing
the amount of lands belonging to the state and to persons or public
corporations and the amount of lands of the state in the forest preserve
affected thereby.

b. The board shall also cause a map to be made, showing all such
lands, the number of acres in each separate tract, the names of the
owners and occupants thereof, so far as the board can ascertain the
same. Such maps shall also show the high flow lines of the proposed
reservoir.

c. The board shall also prepare a statement of the amount of water
power, if any, which consistent with the proper regulation of the flow
of the river or stream may be developed at or by reason of such
reservoir by the withdrawal of water for power purposes directly
therefrom with an estimate of the value thereof. The board shall also
prepare a statement showing generally the public corporations and
locality of lands to be benefited by the improvement and how and whether
the state will be benefited thereby and the public necessity for the
improvement.

d. In the event that any of the real estate required for such
reservoir shall belong to the state, the value thereof shall be
determined in the estimates, as hereinbefore provided, and in the event
that such land is outside the forest preserve and the state is
chargeable with any proportion of the expenses, such value shall be
deducted from the amount to be paid by it, and shall be chargeable as a
part of the expenses of the improvement.

e. When the board shall have completed such preliminary plans, maps,
specifications, estimates and statements, it shall certify the same with
its approval thereof to the department, which shall have power after
hearing the board, to modify such maps, plans, specifications, estimates
and statements, or any of them, and within forty days after the receipt
thereof shall approve the same as certified to or modified by it, and
shall certify the same as approved by it to the board. The board shall
thereupon cause the preliminary plans, maps, specifications, estimates
and statements so approved to be filed in the office of the county clerk
of each county having lands within such district, and in the office of
the department.

2. Upon the completion and filing of such preliminary plans, maps,
specifications, estimates and statements, as aforesaid, the board shall
forthwith give notice of such filing as provided in subdivision 1 of
section 15-0903, and shall hold a hearing thereon in the manner set
forth in section 15-0903.

3. Upon the completion of such hearing the board shall determine
whether the public welfare requires that such proposed improvement
should be proceeded with, and what, if any, modification should be made
in such plans, maps, specifications, estimates and statements. If the
board shall determine that such maps and plans, specifications,
estimates and statements should be modified in any respect, it shall

certify its proposed modifications to the department, which after
hearing, the board shall determine what, if any, modifications should be
made therein, and as modified by them shall approve the same and certify
the same with their approval to the board, which modified plans, maps,
specifications, statements and estimates shall be filed by it as
hereinbefore provided for the filing of the original thereof. If the
board shall finally determine that the proposed reservoir shall be made,
it shall thereupon make a final order directing the same to be made, and
shall cause such final order or certified copies thereof to be filed and
recorded in the office of the county clerk of each county in which any
lands within such district are located, and in the office of the
department, and forthwith give notice by publication of the making and
filing of such final order.

4. Any person or public corporation affected by the determination of
the board may review such final determination in the manner provided by
article seventy-eight of the civil practice law and rules. Unless
application shall be made for such review within sixty days after the
filing of the final order, as herein provided, the plans, maps,
specifications, statements and estimates shall be the established and
final plans, maps, specifications, statements and estimates of such
reservoir. In the event that upon such review there shall be any
modification by the court of the final order, maps, plans,
specifications, statements and estimates, the court shall direct the
modification thereof by order, and the board shall cause such order to
be filed and recorded in each place where the final order was filed and
recorded. No review of the final determination of the board shall be had
unless at the time of the application for review the person or public
corporation seeking the review shall give an undertaking approved by the
supreme court or a justice thereof, as to form, amount, and sufficiency
or sureties that in the event of failure to modify the final
determination, he or it will pay to the board all such costs and
expenses as are incurred by it on account of the review proceedings, as
shall be determined by the court.

5. The board shall have power to make such changes in the final maps,
plans and order as the nature of the work may require, provided that the
board shall give notice by publication pursuant to subdivision 1 section
15-0903, and shall give a hearing thereon as in the first instance and
the same proceedings shall be had as provided by subdivisions 3 and 4 of
this section.

6. In the event that in any such plans, estimates and statements, a
charge is made against the state for any share of the expenses of the
proposed reservoir, not including therein such preliminary expenses as
may have been necessary or expenses consisting only of assessments
against the state on account of benefits from the improvement, no such
reservoir shall be made under title 21 of this article pursuant to any
such final order until the Legislature shall make appropriation to pay
the state's share of such expenses. The sum so appropriated shall be
paid into the general fund of the river regulating district for which it
is appropriated.

7. When any such final order shall have been made, and the Legislature
shall have made appropriation for any share of the expense payable by
the state, if any, the board shall proceed as herein provided to the
acquisition of such real estate as may be necessary for the
construction, maintenance and operation of such reservoir. When
proceedings are taken under the eminent domain procedure law, the board
shall file in the Comptroller's office a certified copy of the final
order provided for in the eminent domain procedure law, and a certified
copy of the judgment therein rendered pursuant to the eminent domain

procedure law, together with the certificate of the Attorney General
that no appeal from such final order and judgment has been made, or will
be taken by the state, or if an appeal has been taken, a certified copy
of the final judgment of the appellate court. Payments of the amount due
upon such final order and judgment with interest from the date of the
judgment until thirty days after the entry of such final order and
judgment, and payments for real estate taken by agreement, shall be made
out of the general fund of the district.

8. Construction work shall be undertaken in accordance with the
following provisions:

a. After any such final order shall have been made and filed as
hereinbefore provided, the board may proceed to construct the work
according to the plans and specifications, by publishing a notice
stating the time when and the place where such bids or proposals will be
received, once a week for three weeks in one newspaper published in the
city of New York and in one newspaper in each county wholly or partly
within the district, if such papers there be, and in such other
newspapers as the board shall deem advisable.

b. The advertisement shall be limited to a brief description of the
work proposed to be let with an announcement stating where the maps,
plans and specifications are on exhibition and the terms and conditions
on which bids will be received and such other matters as may be
necessary to carry out the provisions of title 21 of this article. In
such notice the board shall reserve the right to reject any or all bids
and again advertise for further bids.

c. The proposals received pursuant to such advertisements shall be
publicly opened and read at the time and place designated. Every
proposal must be accompanied by a deposit in the form of a certified
check upon some national or state bank or trust company within the state
in good credit and payable to the board for five per cent of the amount
of the proposal. In case the proposer to whom such contract shall be
awarded shall fail or refuse to enter into such contract within the time
fixed by the board, such deposit shall be forfeited to the board and
paid by it into and become a part of its general fund. In case the
contract be made such deposit shall be returned to the contractor.

d. Before entering into any such contract a bond with sufficient
sureties to be approved by the board shall be required, conditioned that
the contractor will perform all work within the time prescribed in and
in accordance with the plans and specifications, and will pay to the
state, the regulating district and the board all damages, costs and
expenses suffered or incurred by any or all of them by reason of the
neglect or default of such contractor or his employees or any
subcontractor or his employees in the performance of such contract or in
doing such work thereunder.

e. Such contract may provide for partial payments to be made from time
to time upon the certificate of the engineer in charge of the work after
due inspection thereof for an amount not exceeding ninety per cent of
the contract price for the work actually done as shown by the
certificate. Such certificate must state the amount of the work
performed and its total value, at the price fixed by such contract, but
in all cases not less than ten per cent of the estimate thus certified
must be retained until the contract is completed and approved by the
engineer in charge of the work and by the department.

f. The board may divide the work into several parts and let separate
contracts therefor. If the estimated cost of any part of such work does
not exceed ten thousand dollars, the board may by resolution proceed to
do such part of such work by its own forces or otherwise. All such
contracts before being entered into shall be approved by the department.

g. Subject to the authority of the department to dispose of
merchantable timber and salable wood on state land, no reservoir shall
be constructed until provision shall have been made by the board for the
clearing from the reservoir site of all timber and all timber growth on
lands to be flowed, such timber and timber growth to be removed by the
board by contract or otherwise, with the approval of the department. The
board shall not permit to remain upon a reservoir site above the low
flow line of the reservoir any stump higher than twelve inches above the
bed of the reservoir adjacent thereto.

h. All merchantable timber and salable wood on state land to be flowed
shall be sold by the department in such manner as it shall deem best for
the interests of the state, but in no event for a sum less than its fair
market value, provided, however, that the department may in its
discretion sell any such merchantable timber or salable wood at public
auction after due advertisement. The proceeds of any sale or disposition
less the expenses thereof and the reasonable cost of inspecting,
scaling, lumbering, cutting and piling, if any, incurred by the
department, shall be paid into the general fund of the state. The
department may designate the trees or kinds of trees to be considered
merchantable timber or salable wood.

i. In preparation of the reservoir site the board shall do such work
as may be necessary to prevent stagnant pools above the low flow line
thereof.