Square One

This is where we start. Ashokan Reservoir in Ulster County NY, about 100 miles north of NYC. The reservoir is a main source of the city's drinking water. And also very pretty. There are also several feed reservoirs higher into the Catskills, one of which - Gilboa - has a wooden dam almost 100 years old. If that dam bursts - and that is the local fear - 5,000 homes will be lost. The genesis of our DAM H2O project, an idea by Shane Masterson, an 11th grade student at Onteora HS, was to show the effects of climate change, and the inertia of local authorities when dealing with a potential disaster. Last spring, severe flooding caused heartbreaking damage to local townships, and Shane started to document the situation.
The events in Louisiana last August only pointed out that this is a global phenomenon, not just a local issue. So, without wishing to compare the two events, Shane is building his film around wider issues.
Our trip to New Orleans will add this wider dimension.