What Happened to Saucon Creek?

[Chaz]

It's good to see the City of Bethlehem is going to start patrolling the park, I've never seen a cop there.

 

[JeffK]

Just as an aside, the Freidensburg zinc mine at one time had the largest pump in the world, the "President", with a 30,000 GPM capacity. That's 66 cfs and can really draw down the aquifer. Back in the 60's the Saucon was dead.

45 years ago it was said that the Lehigh Valley limestoners were immune to urbanization. Years ago they all had extensive weed beds chock full of scuds and fabulous brown trout fishing, but today all show some degradation. Just yesterday I was visiting my parents who live on Shoeneck Ck (from the German Schoene Eck or beautiful corner), a trib of the Bushkill, and huge apartment buildings and massive warehouses are popping up like weeds in the area. Needless to say I wasn't impressed with the condition of the creek. I take the poaching stuff with a grain of salt, unless you see people dragging nets (yes, it has happened) and think pretty much all the problems are habitat related.

 

[troutbert]

JeffK wrote:

45 years ago it was said that the Lehigh Valley limestoners were immune to urbanization.

Someone actually said that?

It's true that limestoners are more resistant to degradation from urbanization than freestoners.

But IMMUNE? No way.

 

[Mike]

I am with Jeff K on the poaching stuff. While electrofishing we captured some of the largest fish in the greatest abundance from the location where the WCO commented that he receives the most poaching complaints from anglers.

 

[JeffK]

Troutbert,

In a more naïve era, and of course I was naïve too, all the older gents who taught me were sure the limestone streams would never change. This was before Earth Day and the attitudes of environmental concerns and action over a whole watershed were sorely lacking. The era didn't see as many floods, although the mid 60's drought was terrible. The 1955 Hurricane Dianne floods sure shook everybody up - and I see why all the channelization projects had overwhelming support at the time. Around 75 people perished in the Stroudsburg area alone and the Lehigh Valley was clobbered as well. But, there seemed to be a 50 year period when the limestoners seemed to have remarkably even flows. When I was younger everyone effected by Hurricane Dianne had a brass high water plaque; now I don't know where to find a single one. So IMHO, people got used to stable conditions. Of course we got into the flood/drought yo-yo over the last decade or so which put the conditions of the streams back in the spot light.

Mike,
I have an internship with NJ F&W helping with a management plan for the upper South Branch of the Raritan. The spots where poaching are claimed are visibly full of fish to me and when electroshocked show good pops (it is funny to see how many trout are there when we shock). I'm on the stream nearly every day and the regulars know me by now. Every time the locals don't catch fish I'm besieged with "the state didn't stock" (which I don't buy because often I help with stocking) or "some old guy/day laborer with a coke can rig/dam Russian" poached them all. Of course I am wrong because their brother-in-law/neighbor/buddy called "the state" and was told the stream wasn't stocked or was poached out. I talk to the CO and local fishing guides and we really haven't seen serious poaching. Plus I've frequently seen fishermen leave in disgust after a skunking be followed by one of the local experts who will catch 15 trout in an hour at the "fished out" hole.

 

[Smike]

In talking with another Saucon regular who fishes well above the stocked and TT sections, has noted the decline as well. I agree pouching is not the cause.

 

[Chaz]

FWIW, have a look at the post about Cooks Creek, there's info in the about the Saucon.

 

[Mike]

The balance of nature continues to function. So often when a decline in a fish population is noted, a large year-class is almost immediately produced. Fret not, the Saucon has large year class of fingerlings this year.

 

[Smike]

That’s good news Mike. Given that this place survived as being a once industrial wasteland, I have no fear

 

[troutbert]

Mike wrote:
The balance of nature continues to function. So often when a decline in a fish population is noted, a large year-class is almost immediately produced. Fret not, the Saucon has large year class of fingerlings this year.

What caused the decline? And how large was the decline?

 

[Chaz]

Aquifers can only hold a finite amount of water, and can be depleted. Keep digging more wells and you'll see how fast flow disappears.

 

[LouM]

Chaz;The llh is a prime example of drawing down the aquifer and drawing water from the creek. The amount of water has been declining for years. Since they took out the dam at the monitoring station the readings are misleading