In an effort to support tourism in the Catskills, boat-rental businesses will be permitted to store kayaks and canoes along four New York City reservoirs.
The New York City Department of Environmental Protection for the first time is allowing approved boat-rental businesses to store their kayaks and canoes alongside the Cannonsville, Pepacton, Neversink and Schoharie reservoirs, where recreational boating is allowed with the proper permits. DEP’s commissioner says more than a dozen businesses have already expressed interest in the storage. DEP has worked with the Catskill Watershed Corporation to acquire 30 storage racks that will each hold four rental boats. To protect the quality of the water in the reservoirs, the rental kayaks and canoes will be steam cleaned before they are stored. The boats are steam cleaned to avoid the spread of invasive species.