I have watched with much interest the events that have occurred on the Raquette River this spring. Yes, we had a hard snowfall during the winter months in 2010-2011. Yes, we had a lot of rain in April 2011. This combination might explain why the Raquette River is running high. But, we have had more difficult snowfalls and wetter spring rainfalls in this area during the past 80 years. Today National Grid (a British Company) owns the power lines and Brookfield Power (a Canadian-Brazil Company) owns the river rights. The Raquette River is designed with its dams and waterways to withstand what is known as “The 100 Year Flood.” During the winter months, weekly snow surveys are taken throughout the water shed that supplies this river. After calculations are made, the upstream reservoirs are set to handle the snow melt and the spring run off. Over 80 years of this information helps the power company to determine how to manage the “Spring Run Off”. Maximizing generation can not out rule public safety. I hope when all the information is investigated with this year’s run off on the Raquette River; that Brookfield Power did not place maximizing generation before public safety. Was the lack of available local area management a reason for this river problem? It’s time to ask some very serious questions of Brookfield Power.