Reported fish kill on FB > Frankstown Branch LJ

[PennKev]

^You raise some excellent points regarding reporting of the event. Solid info is lacking in regard to timing and scope of the fish kill. There are enough photos on social media to show that SOMETHING happened but not much more.

As for trout moving to cold water sources, in this case Halter Creek, I think it's rather likely. There was video of trout crowding near a spring on the LJR Facebook page that was linked at the beginning of the thread. If fish are trying to find cold water refuge on the LJR they're certainly doing the same in Frankstown. Halter likely makes up a significant part of the rivers flow in the effected area right now (if not the majority) and would probably draw most of the trout in that area.

 

[dryflyguy]

I went out to the Frankie this past weekend.
Checked out several sections on the lower part of the river sunday - pretty close to the junction with the little j.

Saw some flies hatching, and a few fish rising to them
But with the water temp close to 70 degrees, I didn't try for them.

I ended up fishing the little j, which was somewhat cooler at 64 degrees.
There was a bit of a white fly hatch the last hour of daylight, in the Baree area.
And caught quite a few, although all small fish.

Spent that evening with some friends at Greene Hills campground.
Everybody there had heard of the spill. But didn't think it caused much damage, other than within a few miles of the discharge site.

Although one guy told me that Halter creek and another trib in the area were affected. Suggesting that perhaps the spill didn't come from the discharge pipe.
No idea how much truth there is to that.

I also met a couple there who live on river in Williamsburg.
And they claim that there were no fish killed in that area.

Guess someday we'll find out what actually happened.

 

[rrt]

I don't do Facebook, but my wife does; and she showed me a long post that says there are dead fish as far downriver from the original kill as Point View (3 miles upstream of Wburg), some funny looking silvery material, and a real stench. According to that Facebook post, the local WCO has been notified and so has DEP.

But, as has been noted in earlier post #16 on this thread, after the news blurb in the Altoona Mirror, there has been no more information publicly written or on the TV news about this.

 

[rrt]

Drove along FB above Pt View yesterday, and I did notice a stench -- and this is more than a week after the upstream kill. I did not see any silvery coloring on the rocks or along the banks. I did not see any dead fish there, so maybe whatever it was has been diluted enough to stop that. However, the smell was pretty bad and was certainly an unusual smell -- don't know what it was.

In that area, I would be more concerned that whenever the Hemlock Lane CAFO pig farm spreads its manure near Canoe Creek on the flood plain that it will wash in and kill everything if it spread during wet weather when the river comes over its banks there, which occurs often.

 

[dryflyguy]

I made a return visit to central PA, and checked out the Frankie the last two days.

First stop was at Aquatic Imitations fly shop in Frankstown.
The shop owner, Creg, shared some new information about the spill with me:

3,700 gallons of a chemical called Cholorostain, was spilled into it by the Apvion paper factory on Aug 20th.
It affected 4.5 miles of the stream, from the discharge pipe in Roaring Spring, down.

Fish and Boat, and the DEP have been investigating.
Attorneys for both sides are currently negotiating how much the Co. will be fined.

I fished the river at 3 spots: Water Street, Etna Furnace, and where Piney creek comes in at Ganister.
I found a few flies hatching and some sporadic rising at all 3 sections. I caught (mostly) small trout on BWO's and terrestrials
Water temp was 56 degrees.

Looks like the damage in the lower sections was minimal

 

[SirJohnny]

All:

Just a quick update.

Halter Creek was not affected by the Roaring Spring (Apvion) Paper Mill chemical spill.

The Frankstown experienced a fish-kill (as previously reported). My observations only showed dead carp, suckers, crayfish, and fresh water mussels. Another individual did find/post pictures of some dead stocked trout (there is an individual who stocks their property down towards Frankstown Elementary School).

It is believed the wild brown trout in this section had already migrated to colder water, prior to the chemical event.

Unfortunately, the paper mill continues to dump warm (100 degree), tannic laden (with particulate matter) effluent into the Frankstown Branch on a daily basis (per their DEP permit). The stench is there most days, some worse than others.

As others have said ... if this were to happen on Penns Creek or the Little Juniata, there would have been hell to pay. The Frankstown Branch could definitely use more friends.



Hope this helps.

 

[dryflyguy]

Sir Johnny;

Sounds exactly like what the paper plant in Johnsonburg discharges in to the Clarion river.

Hopefully, Apvion will get fined heavily.
With the money going towards reparations for the fish kill.
And to preventing it from happening again

 

[rrt]

This won't sound good, but I hope Apvion does not get a heavy fine. This company has done yeoman work to clean up both the water -- Halter Creek -- and the air. The company's most recent clarifier has made the FB's water as clear as that on most waters, including the LJR.

Though I am sorry the 100-degree pipe exists, i believe Apvion is a company that has tried to do the right things environmentally while maintaining production that is able to employ nearly 500 American workers in an area where good jobs are at a premium.

There are worse polluters of the FB than Apvion, especially corporate CAFO farms that apply horrendous amounts of liquid manure to fields, much of which washes into the FB.

DFGuy found flies hatching recently for surface fishing. I haven't seen rising trout on the FB for months. And, as I have noted before, the grannoms, sulphurs, and others have been pretty much wiped out by pollution incidents that do not involve Apvion.

Also, you need to realize that the FB is about 5 - 7 degrees warmer than the LJR due to natural topography, etc. It is a coowater stream, and there are smallies in many places. The LJR is a coldwater stream below Tyrone, with the nice springs that come in.

I, too, hope this does not occur again. But, with all the corporate farms along the stream and its tribs, I wouldn't bet on it. Also, if some places near the old RR shops near Hollidaysburg are ever dug up or break loose, look out. Guys who worked there have often said there is a lot of "stuff" buried there.

And, if the old Heller Quarry is ever re-opened, there will be more trouble. I attended the meetings that opposed this potential environmental disaster, and it was the Audubon Society and Sierra Club folks who have gotten this re-opening on hold, not fishing groups for the most part. Bill Anderson of the LJRA was in attendance and was helpful, too.

Mainly, the problems are not from Apvion.

Sorry so long. I'm done.

 

[afishinado]

Confirmed chemical release into the FB >

https://www.altoonamirror.com/news/local-news/2020/09/dep-appvion-caused-fish-kill/?fbclid=IwAR3h3xvrFF2WFyanAJhmAzo4l81PwaEs9wPGvW7qA3f5xDDD1D_dl2g5Kow

 

[rrt]

Afish beat me to this. Today's (September 29) Altoona Mirror reports that DEP has filed two notices against Apvion for the chemical spill. One is for failure to notify DEP immediately and the other because of dissolved oxygen levels that violated permit standards in effluent for the two days after the spill.

Details and more information about this are in the article that Afish has provided a link to in Post #29.

 

[DGC]

Note a vertical volume spike on 10/5 and smaller spikes and falls in the following days despite no precipitation. I have no other information that would explain.

USGS Frankstown Br Juniata River

 

[rrt]

As DGC notes, this does not make any sense. We had a little rain about a week ago, but that would not explain this.

Also of note, the FB's last hatch seems now to be wiped out. A hatch of brown dancing caddisses that should be on right now is not to be seen -- not even one fly. That was pretty much the last of the FB's fly hatches that have been wiped out by who knows what this time.

The grannoms, the sulphurs, the white flies (a long time ago), and now these are all gone. Guys found a few grannoms last spring, but not in appreciable numbers. The sulphurs are absent, too.

This little river had received undue publicity, but anyone who wants to fish to a hatch of flies on the FB will probably have to wait another lifetime. I am of the opinion that bridge building killed the sulphurs, that a week-long slug of red mud killed the grannoms, and liquid manure spewing into the stream from tribs depresses much of the other fly life.

It is a sad, sad situation.

 

[rrt]

This area had 2.83" of rain on Sept 29, 30, but only .07" since then. The FB went over 400 cfs after the big rains but then came back down to about 165 cfs by the 5th. It went over 200 cfs yesterday and was discolored in the morning but was clear when we took our evening ride past it. However, with its being down to 168 cfs this a.m. while I walked with my wife and dog along the trail paralleling the FB, it was silted again. If something man-related is causing this silt, it is not occurring between Williamsburg and Frankstown, 12 miles upstream. I suspect it will clear off during the day again. Makes you wonder.

 

[sarce]

It sounds like the local TU chapter did some great work to protect this river in the past. Is the chapter still active today in this area? I caught some nice trout there when I was at PSU and ventured out to FB a few times. Always enjoyed outings there and it's sad to read about what is happening.

 

[DGC]

Canoe Creek lake drawdowns for repairs seems to be the reason for the level changes and silt. Nevertheless I appreciate your taking an interest, rrt.

Canoe Creek Lake to be Drawn Down for Maintenance

 

[rrt]

DGC,

I just found this out today, too. A friend of mine had gone to Canoe Lake to fish and had found it to have been drawn down. This would explain the fluctuations in the FB and the discoloration.

I hope it does not flush invasive weeds into the FB, such as the ones that have established themselves in the long pool at Pt. View over the past decade.

Thank you for your postings regarding this.