Lehigh River and the PFBC's take on wild trout.

[Mike]

BeastBrown,
From whom did you hear $18 mil or where did you read that? I have never seen a figure or estimate that low for just adding gates at various levels to the present tower.

 

[Dcap240]

I'm sorry guys that was supposed to be $48 million dollars not 18. There is a link on LCFA website for a story called Wild Trout: Prize of the Lehigh and he says upwards of 50 mil.

 

[BeastBrown]

I have a question here. Ok, the gauge in Stoddarsville is saying that it was hitting 59 degrees on the upper Lehigh. So water can't stratify that fast on the actual dam can it? It was 46 the one night up there. Water doesn't sink that fast does it? Then a release this weekend would have tapped that sinking water that was higher up that had sunk? Don't think it can happen that fast, just a coincidence I guess that the gauge malfunctions around when the temps went down in the 40s at night.

 

[blueheron]

It's a nice thought, a true cold water tailwater, and I hope it happens for the next generation but it's just one part of letting the Lehigh be all that it can be. The insect indicators of clean water can't survive the polluted tribs in the gorge, the fish muddle through, but it will take a two stage process of fish friendly releases and AMD and current mining discharge abatement to bring the Lehigh back to where I'm sure it was long before our time.

 

[LehighRegular]

Becker - great post and good article. Thanks for posting.

Beast - what you are seeing is the colder inflow water "sliding" under the warmer surface water. Since early July, the Corps has been releasing water from the bottom flood gates ONLY. Reason is to capture the coolest water in the lake. AND, when inflows start to drop, by releasing from the bottom flood gates, it will capture and allow the cooler water to be released. FYI - last time (end of July) is saw a lake temp profile for FEW, the surface waters were around 26C.

There is some temperature "diffusion" going on between the cooler inflow water and with the warmer lake water, but as you can see, the release water temp is clearly cooler then the majority of the lake.

Typically, the Corps will release water from the bypass gates and flood gates simultaneously. However, this change to all bottom release once the coldwater was depleted was worked out last year with the PFBC. The PFBC requested this operational change with the Corps. Now we are seeing the benefits of capturing the coolest water in the lake, sooner. I'm sure the trout are relieved too.

FYI - Next LCFA meeting will be in September. Please check our website for date and location. We are always looking for more volunteers to help.

 

[troutbert]

The title of the article is "Lehigh River and the PFBC's take on wild trout."

And the article goes on to attack the PFBC's wild trout management.

But isn't it really the actions of the Army Corps of Engineers that are at the heart of the matter?

They own and manage the dam. The decision to build or not build a new valve is theirs, and the cost would come out of their budget. And if a new valve was built, the decisions on management of flows would be the Corps, just as it is on other Corps dams.

So, why the emphasis on the PFBC in the title and first part of the article?

 

[afishinado]

troutbert wrote:
The title of the article is "Lehigh River and the PFBC's take on wild trout."

And the article goes on to attack the PFBC's wild trout management.

But isn't it really the actions of the Army Corps of Engineers that are at the heart of the matter?

They own and manage the dam. The decision to build or not build a new valve is theirs, and the cost would come out of their budget. And if a new valve was built, the decisions on management of flows would be the Corps, just as it is on other Corps dams.

So, why the emphasis on the PFBC in the title and first part of the article?

I reread the article. IMO, it does not attack the FBC. Actually it features an interview with Norm Gavlick, the NE Commissioner from the PFBC. He states that he supports the effort to modify the dam to become more trout friendly and supports the ceasing of trout stocking the Lehigh if and when the modifications happen.

 

[LehighRegular]

Troubert

The money won't come entirely from the Federal/Army Corps budget. There is a thing called "cost - sharing".

Typically, when the Corps does these kind of projects, they partner with another agency or state government and they split the costs. Depending on the program, the cost shares are sometimes 50/50 or 70/30 - Fed/partner.

For example, the Coldwater study is being cost shared by the DCNR and PFBC with the Corps.

If a new tower were to be built, I would imagine the PFBC/State of PA would need to cost share some portion of the project.

But in order for the State of PA to put money into this, the PFBC needs to take this to the law makers in Harrisburg, with assistance and backing from anglers, of course.

In my discussions with the Corps, they would love to do this project. Their engineers are chomping at the bit. This is what they do. The Corps just needs the money put in their budget at a Federal level and a partner to cost share.

The directive to build a new tower will have come from congressional officials in Washington.

As for the Flows/Releases, the Corps is very willing to work with the PFBC on releases, as long as it doesn't jeopardize flood control.

One thing that needs to occur to protect the fishery, is FEW needs another designation other than Flood control and Recreation. There needs to be a "water quality' or some type of designation for protection of the down stream fishery. Right now, there is no such designation and that is why the trout are not really considered part of the equation. All releases are made for "recreation' and not protection of the fishery.

 

[Fishidiot]

Excellent thread - some good info here. Thanks.

 

[PhilC]

+10

 

[timmyt]

It boggles my mind that fishing is not considered recreation....

 

[krayfish]

It's easy for them to see the $$$ from rafting and until someone compiles the amount of $$$ brought in by fishermen, it might be a tough sell. I read somewhere that the Delaware cold water and theBeaverkill bring bring about 30 mil to that area per year. I think the Lehigh valley wouldn't mind getting some of that.

 

[afishinado]

krayfish wrote:
It's easy for them to see the $$$ from rafting and until someone compiles the amount of $$$ brought in by fishermen, it might be a tough sell. I read somewhere that the Delaware cold water and theBeaverkill bring bring about 30 mil to that area per year. I think the Lehigh valley wouldn't mind getting some of that.

It has been determined that in the Upper Delaware, wild trout fishing resulted in $17.69 million for local
business revenue in 1996, that there was $7.25 million of spending by anglers in Delaware County, New
York alone, and that about 41% of this spending remained in the local communities surrounding the tail
water fisheries area (Hancock, Deposit, Walton, and Village of Downsville).129 The cycling of this 41% of
angler expenditures in the region ultimately results in $29.98 million in local economic activity.130
Research has also shown that revenues generated by anglers in this region supported 348 jobs with total
wages of $3.65 million; and provided $719,350 in local taxes.131 Other research has shown that multiple
towns in the New York reaches of the Delaware River Watershed are benefiting from the clean water and
resulting healthy fish populations found in tributary streams.

The Beaverkill and Willowemoc Rivers are credited with providing towns such as Roscoe and Livingston
Manor with $10 million in annual expenditures from their sport fishery.132 Friends of the Upper Delaware
have reported that the world famous upper Delaware River is a dynamic tourism and economic engine
that has not yet reached its potential.133 They estimate that fly-fishing in the region could generate $58
million per year in economic activity, creating new jobs with virtually no infrastructure or environmental
threat, for which there is already a trained work force and where control would remain local.


Link to source:http://www.delawareriverkeeper.org/pdf/Recreation_for_All.pdf

 

[timmyt]

So basically it would pay for itself in about 2 years...

 

[LehighRegular]

If managed properly.

It may take a few years for "word to get out", so 5 to 10 years could be the short term reality.

To answer your other question about fishing and recreation. YES, fishing is considered recreation, that is why there are "angler friendly" releases from FEW that are to allow anglers access the river when flows are typically high and not wade friendly.

Protection of trout is not recreation. That's a different ball game.

 

[timmyt]

I disagree, protection of trout leads to fishing which is recreation. Same as the release of whitewater leads to rafting, also recreation.

 

[greenlander]

Does anyone have any alternative contact info for the guys at the LCFA?

I tried contacting them through their website, but the contact form doesn't work. Email wasn't any more successful, with emails to everyone listed on the site bouncing immediately as undeliverable.

 

[RyanR]

henrydavid wrote:
The water temps in White Haven have very recently dropped, and with the white water release they actually dropped below 60 degrees briefly.

What was on the water that the trout were feeding on?

The LRSA has proven that the river actually begins to cool again, due to various tributary influence, from Jim Thorpe downstream compared to the summer release from the dam. This part of the reason why that with a new tower with multiple depth gates a significant wild and/or holdover trout fishery is possible for at least 30 miles of the Lehigh River. That could provide an enormous boost to local economies and the reason why this is getting more serious consideration and buy-in from some of the powers that be. Everyone involved already acknowledges that the Lehigh has an excellent forage base and young trout grow quite fast in the river due to this abundance in food and water quality.

 

[greenlander]

Nevermind. Looks like one email got through after all.

 

[afishinado]

greenlander wrote:
Does anyone have any alternative contact info for the guys at the LCFA?

I tried contacting them through their website, but the contact form doesn't work. Email wasn't any more successful, with emails to everyone listed on the site bouncing immediately as undeliverable.

LehighRegular (above) is aka Dean Drunkenmiller, the President of the LCFA.......lol. Send him a PM.