Oriskany Creek Basin Intermunicipal Commission launched to tackle flooding

Oneida County recently created the Oriskany Creek Basin Intermunicipal Commission to address long-term management and flood mitigation in the Oriskany Creek watershed.

Currently, 13 municipalities within the creek basin have charted the commission. Other municipalities have attended preliminary commission meetings and have expressed interest in becoming members. Municipalities can join at any time by passing a resolution and entering into an intermunicipal agreement with the commission.

The commission will focus on developing the following types of projects: flood-plain restoration with green-infrastructure practices, storm-water basins, wetland enhancements, bank stabilization and repairs, regular stream maintenance, hydraulic modeling, stream mapping, stream and flood-data collection, enhanced public-access points to the creek with potential observation decks, and recreational trails, enhanced parks, and recreation areas and greenways.

“We have seen how successful the Sauquoit Creek Commission has been in managing and solving flooding issues and are now emulating that model in the Oriskany Creek Basin,” Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente, Jr. said in a press release. “I applaud the municipalities that have had the vision to establish this new commission, and I urge the rest in the creek basin to join us as we forge a new path forward. Oneida County continues to leave no stone unturned as we combat the flooding issues impacting our communities. These complicated problems can only be solved by working together.”

The Oneida County Planning Department provides the professional staff for the Oriskany Creek Basin Intermunicipal Commission, just as it does with Sauquoit Creek Commission. The commission has its own bylaws and membership, sets its own rules and procedures, and exists for facilitating cooperation among municipalities while addressing short- and long-term solutions for flood mitigation and watershed management.

The Oriskany Creek watershed spans two counties and includes 16 municipalities. It is 30.6 miles long and covers 147 square miles.