Harveys Creek - Luzerne County

[henrydavid]

Apparently some persons or group had taken it upon themselves to rearrange the stream bed of Harveys Creek along Rt. 29. I saw a few mini dams upstream and figured maybe some kids were trying to make a swimming hole but further downstream it was obvious, even to the point of cleanly cut chainsawed trees laid across the creek. What they have done is ruined tons of pocket water downstream of these obstructions. The section 2-3 miles from the mouth is ruined. I'm just throwing this out here to see if anyone has any knowledge about who might be responsible for this.

 

[salvelinus]

DCNR felled trees across several miles of upper Kettle Creek to improve habitat. I wonder if that's what's going on here?

 

[lycoflyfisher]

Any chance the trees were Ash trees that PennDOT cut so that they didn't fall on the road. DCNR and PFBC have been very selective in the locations of their large wood projects so that they do not impact roads and bridges. I can't imagine either agency would be involved in a tree felling project right along RT 29

 

[salmonoid]

The same thing happened on a stream in the Kettle Creek drainage. A number of the trees that were cut have already been washed downstream and the section of stream where the trees were cut was already at bedrock in a number of places, so the trees weren't going to create any scour holes. The only benefit that I could see was the stopping of a major avulsion, which caused the stream to flow through an old road bed and channel. That avulsion blockage was still in place when I was last there over the summer.

 

[Beernut]

Not habitat improvement. Looks like the locals trying to make new swimming holes during a drought. There is a new stone dam on the fly fishing only section of Bowmans creek also. I kicked some holes in it but more needs to be taken down. I'll do a little every time I'm there.