Outside the back door of the DeRosa cottage is a deck that overlooks the Lower Esopus Creek, and what used to be home to a summer playground for the family and water source teeming with wildlife.

The Ashokan Reservoir releases have since changed that, as their waterfront property gets far too close to the water.

The releases have dumped such large quantities of water, it’s washed away the shoreline of the Lower Esopus and left the water unswimmable because of turbidity, or haziness. On February 9, 2022, the New York State DEC issued a call to action for the New York City Department of Environment Protection, requiring them to “undertake additional analysis and prepare a Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) for releases from the city's Ashokan Reservoir.”

This came in response to a public comment period consisting of 1,300 comments, all from residents, local politicians and other stakeholders, all expressing concern for the quality of water in the Lower Esopus, and how it was a result of the Ashokan Reservoir releases.

Tom DeRosa and Sandra Dickson-DeRosa were a part of that group, expressing that concern over the changing landscape around their cottage. They were married in the backyard of their cottage in 2001, just days after the September 11 terror attacks. They reworked several aspects of the occasion, originally set to take place in New York City, to accommodate both the ceremony and their family.

They’ve kept a few mementos from the day, including the arc they said their vows under, right next to the river. They remember the day fondly, looking back on pictures.

With the rise in the creek, though, they can’t imagine some of those pictures now.

It used to be a playground for their daughter, and Tom and Sandra were hoping it could do the same for their grandson. In just the past year, a weeping willow that clung to the shoreline and hung out over the water had fallen, leaving them with one less swing over the Esopus and one less habitat for their animals.

Their daughter enjoyed it so much, it often appeared in her art projects at school as she shared just how much she loved summers at their cottage. She has since grown up, married and had a son of her own, one that these new grandparents want to share the creek with.

“We had really hoped he’d be the next one swinging off that rope and in the creek,” said Sandra.

The gradual slope of the yard is also proving difficult for the couple, and they shuffle down sideways to ensure they don’t lose their footing. The once-level shoreline has been eroded over the years of the releases, leaving unsteady ground that the DeRosas fear will continue to get swept away.

“Now I don’t spend much time down here at all. I’m concerned about falling into a hole or anything,” Tom said.

What time Sandra does spend at the shoreline, it’s typically used for taking materials she finds in her yard.

“This particular spot has washed out, but I would shove a long stick and logs down behind those ropes, so that whenever the water would go back down, whatever sediment and mud would stay put,” said Sandra.

The effects of the rising waters have even reached to the foundation of their home. Their basement floors and foundation walls are lined with cracks in the cement, none of which were there a few years ago.

“It was just a hairline crack, and now it’s a huge massive crack,” says Sandra as she points to the floor. “This crack has just gone beyond the bar area, and now it comes across the entire bathroom floor.”

Either way, the family is looking for change and to have their home back. They’re frustrated with the lack of transparency and improvements after previous studies and assessments done of the creek, and not seeing much of a result for the residents.

“No one is coming here to help us,” said Sandra.