The Schenectady area has had a long history of ice jams along the Mohawk River that has affected generations of residents. Countless homes and businesses have dealt with flooding each year causing millions of dollars in damage and threatening the health and safety of residents. However, this past winter tugboat Margot has been making its way along the Mohawk River as part of a pilot program to mitigate ice jams by breaking up the ice. $500,000 in state funding that Santabarbara advocated for was allocated for the program.

“By breaking up the ice we can keep it moving downstream to help prevent jams and subsequent floods as the temperatures rise,” said Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara. “These tugboats are a good first step that can help to protect our communities and I look forward to their continued use as part of a long-term solution.”

Santabarbara is scheduled be visit the Upper Wall of Lock E7 in Niskayuna, where tugboat Margot will be docked for photos at 1pm on Thursday, March 17^th. There will be media availability at that time.