Quittapahilla Creek

[LeTortAngler2]

http://www.ldnews.com/crime/ci_27185366/lebanon-landlord-enters-no-contest-plea-raw-sewage

 

[Swattie87]

Thread's been here a week...only 116 views and 0 responses.

Goes to show that no one really cares about this stream. Darn shame because it could be a pretty good sized limestoner if it was properly treated and not abused by the city of Lebanon. During the heat waves of a couple Summers ago it had 64 degree water in Annville, and 72 degree water at its mouth, despite its headwaters being a trash infested flood channel. Imagine a limestone stream that size, in that location, filled with wild Trout.

 

[troutbert]

I wouldn't assume that it means that no one cares.

I read the article. It appears that it was a one time action of a building owner pumping out sewage from a broken pipe.

He broke the law, got caught, and will pay a heavy fine for his infraction. It sounds like the authorities did their job.

I didn't comment on the article, not because I think the Quitty is unimportant, but because I didn't have anything to add.

The article is informative; it let's us knows about the sort of things that happen to streams. But the OP does not ask us to take any action, and I can't see that there is anything for us to do about this incident.

 

[dryflyguy]

I never read the link.
IMO, if the OP can't even make a brief comment on what it's about , I don't go there. I'm not gonna assume it's something that I'll be interested in.

 

[LeTortAngler2]

Swattie, I agree. Would like to see this stream come around, surely has potential.
And who pissed in your wheaties there DFG? It was just an article I came across about a stream (with potential) that's in need of some help.. My brief comment was the title plus the link says it all. Cheer up buttercup

 

[Swattie87]

tb - I remember seeing about this incident in the news when it happened. There is nothing for us to do at this point, except be glad that some good causes are gonna get some fine money out of it. I stand by though that if this was the Letort, Big Spring, Falling Spring, Breeches, or Valley there would have been some discussion from the board on it.

As far as the issues the Quittie is facing in its headwaters, this is a drop in the bucket...it's got way bigger issues than a one time sewage dump that will continue to have nothing done about them. The city of Lebanon doesn't have the money to do anything about it. It would require redoing the entire storm sewer system and figuring out a way to create a more natural stream channel for the stream (than the existing concrete flood channel) right through the middle of town.

 

[dryflyguy]

Letort -

When people on this site just throw up a link, I skip over it out of habit. And my post was intended to possibly answer Swatties question about why there were no responses to your initial post after a week.
No offense intended.

 

[NickR]

I have seen small wild brookies pulled out of this stream along with wild browns and then some stocked fish. It is a cool little stream.

 

[Fishidiot]

dryflyguy wrote:
When people on this site just throw up a link, I skip over it out of habit.

This is true for a lot of readers. Folks skim the forums and if they see only a link, they often move on.

While certainly not required... it's a courtesy to put up a "short version" comment along with a link - something that describes the topic. At least I try to do this with new threads that include links. It's best to avoid cryptic titles or comments like, "I'm outraged!" or "Check this out!"
Instead, if you want to attract readers, tell them the short version and they can follow the link if they're interested and seek the full story or more info.

Not a big deal... just some common courtesy and common sense if you're starting a new thread with a link.

 

[Mike]

The stream is not forgotten by the locals. There is a major habitat improvement project underway or soon to be underway within a stocked portion of the stream. It includes a very small dam removal, bank stabilization, and in-stream work in two phases of habitat work above and below the dam. Considerable funding, which will be matched, will come from the PFBC administered Tully/Quitty grant account, which receives ongoing funding through an agreement worked out between a co-generation plant owner at the top of the drainage basins for both streams and the PFBC.

The operator also maintains better guaranteed cold flows in the Tully above and through Myerstown than occurred prior to the agreement, which I expect will expand the wild brown trout population downstream.

I also expect that the channel relocation (not sure which agencies, companies, or groups were ultimately responsible) around a series of sink holes, located west of Myerstown, that have plagued the stream for decades combined with the cold water flow will be highly beneficial. There was already a substantial wild brown trout population near the sink holes and at times a short distance downstream from the sink holes. Additionally, there were already some holdover and wild trout in the stocked section through Myerstown and immediately downstream from town.

For those who complain that the PFBC does not do enough with habitat, these are the types of long-term projects that you might never have heard about elsewhere of potentially substantial benefits in two major drainages. The agency does more than some think in this regard, but is pretty silent about it and just goes about doing its work. A lot of habitat work that is not done directly by the agency occurs as a result of agency negotiations regarding mitigation for realized and potential environmental/ recreational damages.

 

[afishinado]

Mike wrote:
The stream is not forgotten by the locals. There is a major habitat improvement project underway or soon to be underway within a stocked portion of the stream. It includes a very small dam removal, bank stabilization, and in-stream work in two phases of habitat work above and below the dam. Considerable funding, which will be matched, will come from the PFBC administered Tully/Quitty grant account, which receives ongoing funding through an agreement worked out between a co-generation plant owner at the top of the drainage basins for both streams and the PFBC.

The operator also maintains better guaranteed cold flows in the Tully above and through Myerstown than occurred prior to the agreement, which I expect will expand the wild brown trout population downstream.

I also expect that the channel relocation (not sure which agencies, companies, or groups were ultimately responsible) around a series of sink holes, located west of Myerstown, that have plagued the stream for decades combined with the cold water flow will be highly beneficial. There was already a substantial wild brown trout population near the sink holes and at times a short distance downstream from the sink holes. Additionally, there were already some holdover and wild trout in the stocked section through Myerstown and immediately downstream from town.

For those who complain that the PFBC does not do enough with habitat, these are the types of long-term projects that you might never have heard about elsewhere of potentially substantial benefits in two major drainages. The agency does more than some think in this regard, but is pretty silent about it and just goes about doing its work. A lot of habitat work that is not done directly by the agency occurs as a result of agency negotiations regarding mitigation for realized and potential environmental/ recreational damages.

Thanks for the info, Mike. True statement above. I access the PFBC site all the time and very little info such as this ever appears on the site.

I suppose stuff like this is only important to fish geeks such as us on this site, but there's nothing wrong with blowing your own horn and showing anglers how their license dollars are being spent to benefit the environment, the streams, the fish and the anglers.

 

[troutbert]

More info on the Quitty and projects on the stream:

http://www.dftu.org/projects/quittapahilla-creek/

 

[LeTortAngler2]

. Mike and Troutbert, thanks for sharing, it's good to know its on the radar for future projects. Once read a Fly Fisherman article a few years ago called Cumberland County Alternatives and with this stream listed as one of them. Hopefully I find some time this spring to check out the work on the stream and maybe cast a few flies.
"Just common courtesy and common sense if your starting a new thread with a link"
It eluded me, will work on it.

 

[BREECHESANGLER]

This stream really could be a super productive stream if proper care was taken to improve it. It seems it gets forgotten a lot of the time.

 

[salvelinus]

Once read a Fly Fisherman article a few years ago called Cumberland County Alternatives and with this stream listed as one of them.

Several years ago I remember seeing the FF magazine Ford Expedition parked in the nature park lot a few times. Maybe they were working on the article. It is a shame for the stream, Lebanon is such a sh!thole where it runs through, but it has come a long way from 30 years ago. Gotta look at the positive.

 

[youffer]

I grew up in Annvile in the 50's/60's and Mom always told us not to play in the creeks. We knew better than to go into the Quittie cuz it stank and she'd smell it right away. I still fish there and when wading I can still smell the old Quittie. Somehow streamflow needs to improve to wash that old silt down stream.

I remember that vegetation in the stream was abundant due to the Lebanon sewer plant discharge and Arsenic from the steel plants. Nothing there now.

I think they did an amazing job in the last 20 years or so restoring the stream and getting rid of the pollution. A lot needs to be done yet, and hopefully it will.

The stream is heads above what it used to be.

 

[jdaddy]

Mike wrote:
The stream is not forgotten by the locals. There is a major habitat improvement project underway or soon to be underway within a stocked portion of the stream. It includes a very small dam removal, bank stabilization, and in-stream work in two phases of habitat work above and below the dam. Considerable funding, which will be matched, will come from the PFBC administered Tully/Quitty grant account, which receives ongoing funding through an agreement worked out between a co-generation plant owner at the top of the drainage basins for both streams and the PFBC.

The operator also maintains better guaranteed cold flows in the Tully above and through Myerstown than occurred prior to the agreement, which I expect will expand the wild brown trout population downstream.

I also expect that the channel relocation (not sure which agencies, companies, or groups were ultimately responsible) around a series of sink holes, located west of Myerstown, that have plagued the stream for decades combined with the cold water flow will be highly beneficial. There was already a substantial wild brown trout population near the sink holes and at times a short distance downstream from the sink holes. Additionally, there were already some holdover and wild trout in the stocked section through Myerstown and immediately downstream from town.

For those who complain that the PFBC does not do enough with habitat, these are the types of long-term projects that you might never have heard about elsewhere of potentially substantial benefits in two major drainages. The agency does more than some think in this regard, but is pretty silent about it and just goes about doing its work. A lot of habitat work that is not done directly by the agency occurs as a result of agency negotiations regarding mitigation for realized and potential environmental/ recreational damages.

While I could not refute Mike if I wanted to do so, I think he is underplaying how much has been done on the Quittaphilla lately. The sinkhole mitigation has been great. Honestly without the work that PFBC has put forth this stream would be, well, sunk.

I mean yeah he has to get stocked wording in there in the opening statement but it is acknowledged that our lovely troots can reproduce in there despite stockaments.

 

[troutbert]

Weren't Mike's comments on sinkhole mitigation about the uppe Tulpehocken?

Is the sinkhole issue on the Quitty also?

 

[Mike]

Yes, troutbert is correct. My comments about the sink holes had to do with the Tulpehocken just west of Myerstown.

As for stocking in the Tully slightly upstream from Myerstown (but below the former sink holes), through Myerstown, and for about a mile or so below town, there was a very, very low density wild brown trout population present (Class D). We are stocking only RT in order to give that population the best possible chance to respond on its own to the new flow and temperature conditions. This will also allow us to learn from afar whether the BT are responding when we discuss this with angelers. If they catch browns, then they are most likely wild.

 

[jkilroy]

I have caught small wild rainbows on this creek. It is a real shame because it is cool in the summer. It could easily be a wild trout stream. Not much bug life for mayflies. Has midge sowbugs, and scuds. I also think there is a project going on in the lower part of the delayed harvest. I think they had a grant approved for it.

It's a nice place for me to fish because I lve 5 min away.