Bennetts Branch of the Sinnemahoning

[PAgeologist]

I heard that the PFBC stocked a few trout in a previously dead section of the Bennetts Branch of the Sinnemahoning above Penfield. Anyone hear if they survivied? That is a good looking stream, hopefully it becomes fishable/stockable soon.

 

[riz]

bennetts is not polluted above penfield. they have been stocking this section for years. there a reclimation project going on in the area of a major proportion. Let's hope it works.

http://www.outdoornews.com/September-2012/Trout-river-reborn-in-the-PA-Wilds/

 

[BeastBrown]

14.5 million $ facility? Wow. Can anyone confirm if that is the stream in the picture? How big is the Bennett Branch?

 

[troutbert]

The Bennett Branch is a big freestoner, of canoeable size in its middle and lower reaches, roughly similar in size to the First Fork or Kettle Creek.

Cleaning it up would not only benefit the Bennett Branch itself, which flows for many miles below the treatment facility, but also Sinnemahoning Creek, which it flows into, and the West Branch of the Susquehanna.

 

[Fishidiot]

This is a great story and may set the standard in PA for a large scale AMD project.

It didn't come cheap but the long term results - and downstream benefits as Troutbert points out - will have wide ranging effects.

 

[PAgeologist]

I guess I can add some more information to my own question. I heard that people were fly fishing the Bennetts near Benezette. Dont know if they were catching fish though.

Fishidiot - Yes, the Hollywood plant and the one in Northern Cambria are the new standard for large scale AMD reclamation. Some tweaking is still being done to discharge the right chemistry of water that is desired, but overall these are the "flagships".

The Hollywood AMD reclamation project was pretty much the last step needed to make the Bennetts a viable fishery most if not all the way to Benezette. There are a few small AMD discharges that still enter the stream but get diluted by the quantity of water in the Bennetts. I can tell you all sorts of details regarding that project. I was there during construction.

There are some similar projects being planned for the Little Conemaugh and the Blacklick.

 

[troutbert]

Do you know if the water temps of the discharge from the plant will be cold or not? And do you know the volume of the discharge?

If they will have a steady supply of cold water from the deep mines, and the treatment plant doesn't warm up the water too much, they could really have a good wild trout fishery.

If not, it will be too warm there for a good wild trout fishery. But, there's nothing wrong with wild smallmouth bass and stocked trout. It beats the heck out of "red and dead," which was the situation for a very long time.

 

[PAgeologist]

I am not sure about the dishcarge temperatures. I believe I am taking a trip to the plant next week. I will find out then.

As far as volume is concerned, that varies greatly between 400 to 6000 gallons per minute treated and discharged. I believe the average is around 2000 gpm.

I am not sure of the average water temps in the Bennetts. It may get too warm to support wild trout, with or without the plant discharge adding a shot of cool water to it. Especially since our lowest flows will typically coincide with when it would need the cool water the most. Unfortunately, the Hollywood plant was under construction when I was hired, so I wasnt involved in any of the sampling or planning phases of the project.

 

[Mountainbrookie]

The next time I'm up that way, if I remember, I'll take some water temperature readings in various locations. Of course I have no base data to compare it to.

I was hopeful from the statements from the PFBC that the discharge would keep it cool enough to support a wild trout fishery for at least some distance.

 

[troutbert]

Mountainbrookie wrote:
The next time I'm up that way, if I remember, I'll take some water temperature readings in various locations. Of course I have no base data to compare it to.

I was hopeful from the statements from the PFBC that the discharge would keep it cool enough to support a wild trout fishery for at least some distance.

Just take the water temp of the discharge from the plant. And the water temps in the stream just above the discharge. Preferably on a warm afternoon with low to medium flow.

Did the PFBC make any statements about the temperature of the discharge?

I saw statements about improving water quality, but no mention of water temps.

 

[Mountainbrookie]

This is from the article linked in this thread already and what I was referring to...

Significantly, the water flowing from the deep mines is a cool 52 degrees F., perfect for supporting a wild-trout fishery.

John Arway, executive director of the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission, called the prospect “unique.”

“We can’t chill water for a trout stream, so we don’t get many opportunities to create a wild-trout fishery,” he said. “This is a major development for the northcentral region.

 

[Maurice]

Mountainbrookie wrote:
This is from the article linked in this thread already and what I was referring to...

Significantly, the water flowing from the deep mines is a cool 52 degrees F., perfect for supporting a wild-trout fishery.

John Arway, executive director of the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission, called the prospect “unique.”

“We can’t chill water for a trout stream, so we don’t get many opportunities to create a wild-trout fishery,” he said. “This is a major development for the northcentral region.

That don't mean it ain't gettin warmer after running through the plant.

Usually when permitting a project an intake and acceptable discharge temperature are logged. What the parameters would be available on the permit. Checking on it (this time of year)would be an interesting experiment.

I would check temps 100 yds upstream of the confluence in both directions and 300 yds downstream to see the impact.

This is your homework assignment, report back with your findings.

:-D

 

[double00]

might have to wait a while to get those temps. The Bennett Branch was over its banks today in a flash flood for the second time in 4 days. Wonder if the flooding has any impact on the treatment facility and its effectivness?

 

[Mountainbrookie]

That don't mean it ain't gettin warmer after running through the plant.

I realize that but it would be my hope that the executive director of the PFBC took that into account when he made the statement that he did.

 

[PAgeologist]

@Maurice-We dont have any discharge permits to run the plant. It is not required (yet). Like I stated earlier, I dont think its a discharge temperature issue as much as its a discharge volume issue. I am not sure that we can provide the amount of cool water needed to maintain a reasonable temp during low flows.

The retention time for water in the plant is relatively low. I think its around 30 minutes if I remember correctly. and given the design of the plant, I dont think that water has much of a chance to warm significantly.

I intended to get readings from the stream and discharge my last trip up there, but thunderstorms and other work that needed to be done did not allow me to do so. I will see what I can dig up from the sample results.

I know one of the things we are looking at is increasing the amount of alkalinity that we are discharging by adjusting the aeration and lime amounts that we treat with.

 

[PAgeologist]

From what I gathered, the average discharge temperatures from the plant are in the low to mid 60's.

I wasnt able to get data on stream temps, but I am working on it.

 

[albatross]

This is wonderful news. I've been diving along the Bennett's Branch on my way up to Cameron County all my life. I've seen this stream go from an orange sterile waste dump to a beautiful freestone stream in my lifetime. Thank goodness for this reclamation project to final push this stream to be habitable for trout again!

 

[MHanes]

This is a river with some serious potential. Many of the tribs that are not effected by mining have some great wild trout in them. I would love to see some of those brookies migrate into the main stem and get huge like it was said was once common in the stream.

 

[troutbert]

Has anyone fished the Bennett Branch since the mine drainage treatment plant went online?

Either for trout or for smallmouth?

The PFBC stocks it upstream from Benezette now.

 

[PAgeologist]

My understanding is that the trout population seems to be doing ok. The insect population is still struggling. I haven't been involved in the project for some time now but this is what I am hearing from those that are. I guess they ran into some guys fishing a few times and they were catching some fish. We should be due to do some shocking there at some point in the near future. I will see if I can get a hold of what they found.