Ice dam along the W. Branch of Pine!

Thanks for posting.
I've seen a couple on Penns years ago.
One flooded and large flat pieces of ice were scattered well off the banks.
Interesting occurrence in nature.
 
Very neat, how far above Galeton?
 
Cool to see. Thanks for sharing
 
Check Uncle John's cameras, now that's an ice jam. GG
 
Rain flushed most of the ice on the Sinnemahoning but it has yet to crest. looks about 2 feet under the bridge in the town of Sinnemahoning. Down here in Da Burgh it was the wind. Mad wind all night.
 
Galeton lake needs dredged! The dam doesn't contribute to ice jams.....

*sarcasm

It is amazing to see ice jams form and break, it is a natural wonder. They often occur near bridges or dams, but certainly can set up in more natural settings as the original post indicated on west branch pine creek.
 
lycoflyfisher said:
Galeton lake needs dredged! The dam doesn't contribute to ice jams.....

*sarcasm

It is amazing to see ice jams form and break, it is a natural wonder. They often occur near bridges or dams, but certainly can set up in more natural settings as the original post indicated on west branch pine creek.
Click to expand...
They are in the process of dredging the dam hopefully this year. Also, a fish ladder! Usually the ice jams happen at the 2 bridges.
 
I wonder how much scouring from ice affects streamside vegetation.
 
As in species diversity or health of existing veg? I am sure we will see bark missing several feet up riparian areas throughout the northern half of the state. Smaller trees likely will have fatal damage, especially as you are closer to waters edge.

As for species diversity, I doubt there is much impact unless the entire seedbank of the streamside is washed away. If it is, seed will be dispersed from upstream areas.
 
lycoflyfisher said:
As in species diversity or health of existing veg? I am sure we will see bark missing several feet up riparian areas throughout the northern half of the state. Smaller trees likely will have fatal damage, especially as you are closer to waters edge.

As for species diversity, I doubt there is much impact unless the entire seedbank of the streamside is washed away. If it is, seed will be dispersed from upstream areas.
Click to expand...
Several things I've seen made me think of this.

Along some streams there are trees further back on the floodplain, but right along the stream there are zones that are open low vegetation such as grasses, forbs, and a maybe a little low brush, but few to no trees. This can be caused by large floods scouring out these areas. I've seen that numerous times.

But I don't get out on the mountain streams much in the winter, so really haven't seen these ice jams like Brad showed in his photos. But high flows moving a lot of ice probably create a lot of scour along the edges of streams.

Also, I've seen some planted riparian buffers where there were plenty of planted trees in their tubes further back from the stream, but zones near the stream where they aren't present. I'm not sure if the people planting the buffer deliberately planted the trees starting back a ways from the stream, or if they planted up close to the stream, and high flows (maybe with ice) just wiped them out.
 
I wonder what the ice flows will do to the knotweed...
Knotweed, snotweed, I hate knotweed.
 
Zero impact on knotweed. The Schuylkill gets way over the top of the knotweed, knocks a lot of it down, and it’s right back the next year, and that’s in loose soil comprised largely of sand and coal sand.

The larger trees just get a lot of scarring on the upstream side; smaller trees, ie saplings, just get bent over at a 45 deg angle. The only real negative effects come from when the tree roots can no longer retain the soil in the embankments and when trees in those situations eventually fall down, tearing out a pocket in an already eroded embankment. That often leads to more bank erosion. Who hasn’t seen roots of mature trees hanging down like a curtain along a 3-6 ft or more now vertical embankment?
 
Ref. Post #11: Wouldn't it be less expensive an better overall to remove the dam? It really seems to contribute nothing.
 
Fly-Swatter said:
Ref. Post #11: Wouldn't it be less expensive an better overall to remove the dam? It really seems to contribute nothing.
Click to expand...
Agree 100% removal would likely be funded in entirety with no cost to local government. Instead they will spend millions of local and state tax dollars to maintain it moving forward.
 
Just....wow.

As I understand it, the dam was supposed to be an attraction for the town. I've been through there and stopped at the brick building sandwich shop 20+ times in the last decade. I don't remember seeing anyone using the pond crated by the dam. Do they think dredging it will change that situation?

Also, I don't understand the point of the fish ladder. There are plenty of feeder streams to Pine so trout can spawn. Correct me if I'm mistaken.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Montana Angler Fly Fishing
Montana Angler Fly Fishing
Harman's North Fork Cottages


Real Time Data From
the USGS Site

Share this page

Back
Top