DEP just won't do it

[salvelinusfontinalis]

http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/how-clean-are-the-streams-and-rivers-in-lancaster-county/article_77914d24-0857-11e8-9a68-7772953920ed.html

DEP again listed the lower Susquehanna River as “unassessed due to insufficient information.” The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission has pressed for years for the river to be listed as impaired because of falling smallmouth bass populations.

However, DEP said bass populations are now rebounding. The agency said it would continue to monitor the river’s water quality to ensure that bass populations and their health continue to improve.

Unassessed due to insufficient information?
Maybe there is inefficient info because it's unassessed. Couldn't they find the river on a map?

 

[Dave_W]

Or perhaps the many years of assessment have not turned up sufficient information for a declaration of impairment?

The river has been carefully assessed for years with numerous studies by SRBC, DEP, and other agencies and organizations. These studies are important, necessary, and continuing. Does the river have issues? Of course (as do all large waterways in PA). That is why these scientific assessments remain important.

Still... the exact cause(es) of the bass crash remain unknown.

Fish are rebounding and it was precisely the poor bass fishing reports and poor YOY/adult population structure that was the driving force behind the calls for a declaration.

With SMB population data improving and angler reports being positive again...the decision by DEP should come as no surprise.
While the matter of whether the river should be declared impaired is debatable....with the return of good fishing I would not recommend holding one's breath in anticipation of such a declaration.

 

[Dave_W]

Incidentally, Sal's link above is a good and informative article, especially if you're a Lancaster County stream fishermen. Don't skip that link.

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

I totally get that.
However SM have proven to be pretty pollution tolerant, I don't see them as much as a "canary in the coal mine" as trout.
This is referenced through much literature on SM throughout history.

The PFBC's mistake was referencing the bass crash to begin with.

Impaired water quality is impaired and had little to do with SM bass populations until it's very bad.

Just my 2 cents

 

[riverwhy]

Many of those assessments don't make sense to me. How can the pea soup running out of middle creek lake not make the stream impaired?? The nitrogen in their must be off the charts!

 

[lycoflyfisher]

This is beating a dead horse but the overall issue still comes down to the lack of funding. Different water quality analysis such as, testing for estrogen compounds, are very expensive at this time, not considering the man hours involved with sampling efforts. Also, there really isn't a benthic macroinvertebrate sampling protocol designed for river systems like the Susquehanna to adequately monitor water quality in that way. If more funding was available to both agencies, I am sure that the river would get more attention, but at this time I think that both agencies are sampling the river as best as they can with the given circumstances.

 

[Mwheaps32]

Yes funding is probably a problem but also think about the extra work load dep would have if they list it as impaired. They (Dep) are already short staffed. If the water way is officially listed as impaired many businesses and municipal treatment systems would have additional regulations placed on them. This would just be more work for them to do and frankly I don't think their looking for more work.

 

[CRB]

The pressure from top play a part with funding and with the parameters for making decisions. Got to participate in the rolls given to citizen and get out and vote. The Governors office is up for election this year.