Question: What is PA's newest tailwater?

[sandfly]

lets see I am 59 now and fished the tohickon since the 60's and until the boating and yakers cried for more water never have I seen the creek so low as it is in summer now. it has been choked off since the dam was put in, so don't tell me it will get low as a lake its maintained high for the boats. I remember before the boat club and such were there and it was never as high as it is now. and we had good summer flows, there used to be a great pickerel and sm. mouth bass fishery on it till it was choked off by the commissions boat club. politics

 

[Mike]

There is no Commission boat club and the lake level is controlled by the state park, which has approximately doubled the discharge flow to the lower Tohicon in recent years. This, however, lowers the lake level. Any reduced in-flow that is occurring in the creeks in the drainage basin is most likely related to human population growth and development....consumptive water use, less groundwater recharge. Additionally, there are evaporative losses from the lake.

 

[sandfly]

what about all the runoff it has to add quite a lot of water with all the new roads and housing since the 70's. 90% water for homes is piped in not from wells. more flooding from all the runoff ? 3 mile run has had more flooding problems from runoff since the 80's than ever before. if there's such a problem for the lake why is it opened for the yakers twice a year, and don't tell me its to test the valve because no other flood control dam does it. a controlled release all year at the pipe and not over the spillway would allow the macro-invertebrates' and trout live. as it is now the scouring of the creek each year has wiped out a lot of insects over the years. I see the commish cares about that..

 

[sandfly]

nockimixon has 3 year round flowing streams flow into it and can't have a bottom release ? yet there's one on the popohoco which is fed only by one stream, come on tell us another. its bucks county politics with the fish and boat. i was born and raised there.

 

[Mike]

Sandfly, I disagree. Period.

 

[Mike]

Sandfly,

What I disagree with as indicated above is that there is enough flow to maintain a tailwater coldwater fishery of any consequence without having a negative impact on lake water levels. The spring release in late March often has little impact on lake level because of strong inflows. On the other hand, after the fall release the lake usually only slowly recovers to its normal surface elevation, taking up to three weeks to do so from only a 1-1.5 ft water level drop, an indication of the types of flows seen during many summers and falls. And with the higher conservation release that has been occurring, last summer I saw the lake at its lowest summer level that I had ever seen and that low level continued for perhaps a couple of months or more.

To provide a reasonable flow for a stream (trout) fishery in that stream's wide, shallow channel in the state park, I believe that more than a conservation release flow would be required. Additionally, given the posting a few hundred yards downstream from the dam where the stream leaves the park, the fishery would be short-lived in distance. This is one reason why the stream is not stocked with adult trout in the spring until it gets to the county park and Ralph Stover State Park, which are a few miles downstream. At least there is some seasonal trout fishing to be had in a very pretty section of the stream at a time of year when demand is highest, just not in the tail-race.

I would add one thing regarding the two white-water releases. The number of releases was considerably less than what the proponents originally proposed.

I mean no disrespect, but I believe the state park has the allocation of water resources right. There is tremendous use of the lake by recreational boaters and anglers throughout the spring, summer, and fall, and the tail-race already provides an outstanding fishery in the impounded area at the very base of the dam. Plus, there is a seasonal stocked trout fishery farther downstream. In all, I think the multiple uses of the lake and tail-race serve the public well.

If you wish to discuss this further since it seems that you have substantial interest in this, you may contact me at 610-847-2442
Mike