The Mercury's Rising

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) issued an updated advisory today about eating fish from waters in the commonwealth.  It's not all bad news as seven waterways had their warnings either lifted or eased. But it there is some bad news for the Upper Delarew River. 

The DEP has issued a new warning for smallmouth bass in Pike and Wayne Counties.  These two counties encompass the entire Upper Delaware River and include all the border water between Pennsylvania and New York.  In the case of Pike County part of the border is also shared with New Jersey. All total, this is somewhere around 100 mile of river.  What the DEP suggests is that no more than two meals per month be from smallmouth bass from this section of river due to mercury contamination.

Mercury from emissions is thought to be a major contributor. A 2008 study published by the New York State Department of  Environmental Conservation revealed a similar pattern on the New York side of the river in several lakes in the Delaware River Basin.

Other Pennsylvania waterways with new advisories are:

• One meal per month advisory for Largemouth Bass in Shohola Lake in Pike County;
• Two meals per month advisory for Largemouth Bass in Lackawanna Lake in Lackawanna County;
• Two meals per month advisory for Largemouth Bass in Stephen Foster Lake in Bradford County;
• One meal per month advisory for Smallmouth Bass in the Susquehanna River in Bradford and Wyoming counties;
• Two meals per month advisory for Smallmouth Bass in the Allegheny River in Warren, Forest, and Venango counties;
• One meal per month advisory for Northern Pike in Conneaut Lake in Crawford County; and
• One meal per month advisory for Largemouth Bass in Crystal Lake in Crawford County.

To read the entire press release, including waters with lifted or eased advisories check out this link:  DEP Issues Updated Fish Consumption Advisories for 2011

Trout Unlimited Supports Governor's Horizontal Fracking Moratorium in New York, But More Protection Needed

Arlington, Va. - "On December 11, Gov. David Paterson took a step in the right direction by executing an order placing a moratorium on the issuance of permits for horizontal, hydraulic fracturing until July 2011," said Katy Dunlap, Director of Trout Unlimited's Eastern Water Project.  "However, by excluding vertical wells from the moratorium, Gov. Paterson has carved out an dangerous exception and has ignored the will of the people - as expressed by the New York legislature - as well as his earlier statements that gas drilling won't be allowed in New York until we can be sure that it won't harm the environment," Dunlap said.
 
"The impacts of hydraulic fracturing have not yet been fully assessed by the state and all types of drilling using this technology should be suspended until the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has determined that is safe for the environment and humans. Trout Unlimited calls on Governor-elect Andrew Cuomo to expand the executive order when he enters into office to include vertical wells and to fully protect New York's natural resources from the impact of gas drilling and hydraulic fracturing," Dunlap said.

Trout Unlimited is the nation's largest coldwater conservation organization, with 140,000 members dedicated to conserving, protecting and restoring North America's trout and salmon fisheries and their watersheds.

The Delaware River Needs Your Vote

While the Lackawaxen River completes its tenure as Pennsylvania’s 2010 River of the Year, the Delaware River is poised to wrest the title/mantle for 2011. Nominated for this recognition by the Delaware River Sojourn Steering Committee and Delaware River Basin Commission, the longest un-dammed river east of the Mississippi is one of six finalists for the designation. 

As highlighted in the river’s nomination, ‘Its waters serve the needs of over 15 million people from four different states and hundreds of communities, as well as provide healthy ecological habitat to all forms of life.’

The PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers administer the River of the Year program, which culminates in a year-round slate of activities and events celebrating the river, including a special extended paddling trip.

The honor is bestowed to raise public awareness about the resource and recognize important conservation needs and achievements. Earlier this year, the Delaware was selected as America’s Most Endangered River by the American Rivers organization for the threats posed to it by natural gas development.

Delaware River lovers can read statements for each of the rivers and cast a vote for their favorite at surveymonkey.com/s/9YM8TSK . Voting ends January 3, 2011 and the winner will be announced later in the month. Spread the word!

Japanese Knotweed

A group called The Sullivan Renaissance has awarded a grant to Upper Delaware Scenic Byway, Inc. for a public education project targeting Japanese Knotweed.  This $1,900 grant will go towards meeting the required matching funds required by The Federal Highway Administration National Scenic Byways Program grant that will kick in another $12,900 toward a knotweed education campaign.  A series of 4 seminars will be offered at no charge.  Participants in these seminars will receive information on mechanical and chemical control of Japanese Knotweed. Also eight information panels will be set up along the route 97 corridor; one for each municipality.

Japanese Knotweed , often called bamboo or monkeyweed is an invasive plant that the World Conservation Union calls one of the world's 100 worst invasive species.  That should give you an idea how nasty this stuff is.

Knotweed grows like crazy in dense colonies that choke everything else out.  It easily reaching heights of 8 to 12 feet.  Once it shows up it's very hard to control let alone eradicate, though there has been some success with herbicides and more recently biological controls like leaf spot fungus and Aphalara itadori which is a psyllid from Japan.  Psyllids are plant eating bugs that are usually host specific.

The Delaware River valley is loaded with knotweed.  The large colonies have taken over huge expanses of riparian ecosystems driving out native plants.  The roots of these plants can go as deep as nine feet and with a cold tolerance of 30 below zero F. One more illustration of how hard it can be to get rid of Japanese Knotweed.

Pennsylvania's Oil & Gas Industry Becomes More Transparent

DEP Makes Oil and Gas Operations More Transparent with New Online Resources

Information on Well Production, Waste Products, and Violations Now Online

HARRISBURG -- For the first time, Pennsylvania’s oil and gas industry production and compliance information is available online as part of the commonwealth’s ongoing effort to make the industry’s operations more transparent.

Department of Environmental Protection Secretary John Hanger said the oil and gas public reporting website, which debuted today, allows access to production statistics for oil and gas wells in the state, including historical data. A new, separate webpage also lets users view violation data, by operator, as well as the department’s enforcement measures.

“The public reporting website will create much needed transparency that allows for citizens and policymakers to be aware of the increasing amount of natural gas being generated in Pennsylvania,” said Hanger. “This is an industrial activity that is taking place widely throughout the state. It’s important that families know what is happening in their backyards and whether or not the company drilling there has a good track record of safe and environmentally sound operations.”

The public reporting website, www.marcellusreporting.state.pa.us/ogrereports/, enables users to search all oil and natural gas production data by operator, county or a specific well number. Information on industry-generated waste can be viewed by operator, county or processing facility.

Act 15 of 2010 required Marcellus operators to report to DEP their well production totals from July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010 by Aug. 15. Subsequent reports on Marcellus production are due every six months. All other oil and gas production besides Marcellus wells must be reported annually.

“It is absolutely essential for the oil and gas industry to be excellent in their operations to protect public health and our environment,” Hanger said. “This information will allow the public to see which operators are leading the way in a safe and environmentally conscious manner and which ones need to address their operating procedures.”

The violation, inspection, and enforcement information is available for 2008 through 2010 to date, including resolved violations for the three-year span. Information for 2010 is available year-to-date or monthly. To view the violation reports, visit www.depweb.state.pa.us and click on the button that says “Gas Well Violations.”

For more information about oil and gas operations in Pennsylvania, visit www.depweb.state.pa.us and click on “Oil and Gas.”
 

Stream Bank Stabilization

The Friends of the Upper Delaware River are currently involved in a stream bank stabilization project that when completed will enhance not only a spawning tributary, but will eliminate much silt from entering the West Branch during rain events and Spring run off. 

 

This tributary is also a critical water supply to the West Branch and many  times during periods of minimal reservoir releases can supply the majority of water to the river. 

 

Support this project and others like it by becoming a member of FUDR:

http://fudr.org/?page_id=38

Of Flow & No Flow

The rains from tropical storm Nicole have passed and left behind a good amount of water in the parched mountains of northeast Pennsylvania and New York's Catskill Mountains.  This storm didn't just slip in and out with its life giving water but unfortunately took lives and property from the Caribbean to the US East Coast.

It seems ironic that just a few days ago the powers that be reduced the flow of the Upper Delaware River to a mere trickle threatening the lives of the rivers wild inhabitants. Yet, today the rivers flood.  The flow reduction is how the Delaware River Basin Commission and the parties to the 1954 US Supreme Court Decree attempt to hoard the water in New York City's Delaware reservoirs.  They see a forecast of rain so they immediately starve the river of water under the assumption that the rain will continue the flow.

What they don't realize is the same same rain that is projected to flow down the river will also flow into the reservoirs thus offsetting any slower, ramped down release from the dams they could have provided. The man-made destruction of aquatic life that occurred this past week was not necessary.  And it assuredly was not needed preserve any water in the reservoir.

As the so called water management plan that's in place, known as the Flexible Flow Management Plan (FFMP) reaches its expiration date, it is urgent that a more common sense plan be adopted.  Of all the conservation groups that care about the health of the river there is only one that has the Upper Delaware River as its only focus, and that is The Friends of the Upper Delaware River (FUDR)

I encourage everyone who cares about this wonderful part of the world to join FUDR in its objective to, "protect, preserve and enhance the ecosystem and cold-water fishery of the Upper Delaware River System and to address any environmental threats to our area for the benefit of local communities, residents and visitors to the region."

West Branch Flow Is Cut 90 Percent Overnight!

Reckless Watercrats Endanger Delaware Trout As West Branch Flow Is Cut 90 Percent Overnight

As the critical brown trout spawning season arrives on the upper Delaware River, the government water bureaucracy throttled back the flow out of Cannonsville Reservoir by 90 percent this week—a reckless and irrational act.

“It is incomprehensible how the authorities charged with the stewardship of this famous fishery and its magnificent environment could be so reckless,” says Al Caucci, vice president of Friends of the Upper Delaware River, a nonprofit environmental conservation group. “Under current conditions, more than 50 miles of prime wild trout water on the West Branch and main stem Delaware, from Deposit to Callicoon, N.Y., is in serious jeopardy.”

Water releases from Cannonsville were cut from 1,100 cubic feet per second to 115 cfs overnight Sunday. Within hours, gravel beds were exposed downstream.

If trout spawning has begun, the exposure of the eggs is probably fatal, said Caucci, who has written three reference books about the relationship between trout and aquatic insects, including the seminal “Hatches.” Also imperiled are aquatic insects, dwarf wedge mussel beds and the shad fry trying to make their way downstream to the ocean.

This is the fourth time since May that FUDR has been prompted to issue a “Crisis Alert” over irrational yo-yo dam releases by the water bureaucracy.

“They have proven once again that there is absolutely no stewardship whatsoever by the water authorities in matters of the fishery,” says Caucci.

The Delaware River Basin Commission, a multi-state entity, is charged with overseeing the river system. Also to blame is the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, which has extraordinary influence with the DRBC.

Protocols for water-release rates are spelled out in the so-called Flexible Flow Management Program, approved in 2007 by the commission.

FUDR has long been a critic of the program, which leads to heavy flows when trout need it least and a trickle when the fish need it most, like now and during heat waves. FUDR advocates a common-sense release plan that would benefit the wildlife as well as those who live on and visit the river for recreation.

The simple solution, supported by environmental groups and fishery experts, is a steady release of a minimum flow rate of about 600 cubic feet per second out of Cannonsville into the West Branch from April through September. For the past month, water was being released in a muddy torrent at nearly double that rate. As of Tuesday, the flow was measured at one-fifth of FUDR’s target rate.

Last year, FUDR gained assurances from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation that any early-fall flow reductions would be done gradually to protect spawning trout.

“And now they close the spigot 90 percent overnight, without warning,” says Dan Plummer, FUDR’s board chairman. “It’s frustrating that our endless discussions with–and promises from–the water bureaucracy lead us right back where we started.”

FUDR has called upon the DRBC to devise a rational water-release plan. The organization is urging the river’s residents, fishing enthusiasts, those who use the river system for recreation, and those in the region who earn a living from outdoors tourism to contact their elected officials or the DRBC to let them know that they value a healthy river and oppose the flawed flow plan.

For photographs of the main stem Delaware River below Hancock, N.Y. that show some of the results of the sudden and unannounced drop in water release from Cannonsville Reservoir, visit www.fudr.org

American Shad Migration in the Delaware River: 2010

The biologist's at the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission released their annual American Shad Migration Report.  Findings show the shad run was the fourth highest since 1997.  Good news for a fish that has seen a decreasing trend taking place throughout its range from Florida to Nova Scotia. The decline that has been so bad that the fishery was completely closed this year in New York's Hudson River.

Interesting is the size of females shad have shrunk to 2.4 – 4.9 pounds or 17.1 – 22.2 inches.  This has the biologists scratching their heads. Possibilities include a combination of gear avoidance, more younger females from the 2007 year class as three year olds, natural mortality of larger females from the spawning population (i.e., the loss of the 2005 female year class as five-year-olds or they simply did not return to spawn this year), poor young of year survival from the record June 2006 flood, slow growth in the ocean, etc. In contrast, the size of males from the 2010 run were about the same as in past years.

Hopefully the shad run will continue to increase and we can look forward to seeing the abundant runs of the past.

Marcellus Shale Funding Support for Fish and Boat Commission Reccomended By Budget & Finance Committee

Harrisburg, PA - In releasing its triennial performance audit of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) today, the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee (LBFC) recommended that the General Assembly “consider providing additional resources to the PFBC so it can continue to make efforts to protect water resources from potential degradation by Marcellus Shale drilling efforts.”

The LBFC audit specifically cited results from PFBC and state Department of Environmental Protection inspections which showed environmental and water quality problems. “These statistics suggest that, in all likelihood, Pennsylvania will continue to experience high rates of environmental, health, and safety violations at Marcellus Shale drilling sites,” the LBFC reported. “Given this new threat, we recommend the General Assembly take action…to ensure the PFBC…has sufficient resources to carry out its mission.”

PFBC Executive Director John Arway, testifying before the committee this morning, reminded lawmakers that the Commission relies almost entirely on fishing license sales, boat registration fees, and federal funding tied to fishing and boating to support everything it does.

“This includes trying to keep pace and stay ahead of the current and projected impacts of energy development to fishing and boating recreation and on the resources the PFBC is mandated to protect,” said Mr. Arway. “If the Commission received a portion of a severance tax, we would be in a much better position to work with industry and other agencies to ensure that aquatic resources are protected during the planning, development, and production of the Marcellus Shale natural gas field.”

Bringing attention to the ongoing debate in Harrisburg, Mr. Arway asked the legislature to take advantage of the “historic opportunity to allocate a portion of the proceeds to conservation and to dedicate a part of its revenues to the Commission to protect the future health of our aquatic resources and the fishing and boating recreation they provide.”

The Marcellus Shale drilling industry has come into Pennsylvania in full force and has substantially increased the responsibilities of conservation agencies like the PFBC. Since 2001, the PFBC has tripled the number of oil and gas well permit reviews it conducts each year, and Mr. Arway said his staff are struggling to keep up with the ever-increasing volume. Within the past year, PFBC staff also have conducted approximately 175 field views of gas well sites and have observed water quality degradation from a number of these facilities.

“This limited field presence is completely inadequate if we are expected to live up to the charge given to us by the General Assembly in 1909 to enforce water pollution laws and – just as importantly – to work with other agencies and the industry to try to prevent problems before they occur," Mr. Arway said.

Referring to the Commission’s formal response found in the appendix of the audit, PFBC Board of Commissioners President William Worobec explained that “we must diversify our funding streams if we are going to meet the growing expectations being placed on the Commission as we implement our mission on behalf of all Pennsylvanians, visiting anglers and boaters, and our fragile natural resources.”

The LBFC’s audit is available online at http://lbfc.legis.state.pa.us.

Fish & Boat Commission to Host Special Session on Marcellus Shale at Quarterly Meeting

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) will hold its fall quarterly meeting on Oct. 4-5 at the Genetti Hotel and Suites in Williamsport. In addition to the regular meeting, the PFBC will host a special public meeting at 7 p.m. Monday at the Genetti to discuss water quality issues surrounding the Marcellus Shale drilling industry.

 

The evening session allows members of the public who cannot attend during normal business hours the opportunity to hear about current issues and to interact with Commissioners, the executive director and agency staff.  Titled “Water Quality and Marcellus Shale: An Aquatic Resource Perspective,” the evening meeting will feature several guest speakers.

 

The agenda includes:

• Welcome - John Arway, PFBC Executive Director
• Pine Creek Water Dogs - Jerry Walls, Retired Director, Lycoming County Planning Commission
• In-Stream Data Loggers - Len Lichvar, District Manager, Somerset Conservation District and PFBC Commissioner
• Perspectives, Concerns, and Responses of a Municipal Water Supply - Walt Nicholson, Interim Executive Director, Williamsport Sanitary Authority and Williamsport Municipal Water Authority
• Fish and Boat Commission Roles, Observations, and Recommendations - Tom Kamerzel, PFBC Director of Law Enforcement, and Mark Hartle, Chief, Aquatic Resource Section, Division of Environmental Services, PFBC
• Closing Remarks - Bill Worobec, President, PFBC Board of Commissioners

Commission committees will meet beginning at 10:15 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 4, and again at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 5. Formal consideration of the agenda by the full Commission will begin at approximately 10:45 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 5. All committee meetings and the formal meeting are open to the public.

 

Commissioners will address a variety of issues during Tuesday’s formal meeting, including property acquisitions in Huntingdon and Blair counties; boating regulation changes; and a final rulemaking order to prohibit the collection of live, freshwater mussels.

 

A complete copy of the meeting schedule and the full agenda for the meeting can be found on the Commission’s web site at www.fishandboat.com/minutes.htm.

 

The mission of the Fish and Boat Commission is to protect, conserve, and enhance the Commonwealth’s aquatic resources and provide fishing and boating opportunities. For more information about fishing and boating in Pennsylvania, please visit our website at www.fishandboat.com.

Trout Unlimited’s NJ, NY and PA Councils Seek Federal Intervention to Manage the Delaware River

Bedminster, N.J. - Trout Unlimited’s (TU) New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania Councils are requesting that the federal government intercede to better manage the flows in the Delaware River system.

In order to ensure that a fair and equitable apportionment of the limited resources provided by the Upper Delaware system’s reservoirs is safely afforded to all Parties, Trout Unlimited has formed a three state council workgroup whose mission has been to review the cause & effect impacts to the upper Delaware Watershed.  This workgroup’s primary focus has been to review the Delaware River Basin Commission’s (DRBC) Flexible Flow Management Program (which was established in 2007 as a means to regulate flows which dictate the amount of water within the Delaware Watershed) and insure the “program” is indeed providing the water needed for a well balanced watershed. 

“The FFMP as a model for water distribution is inadequate and has failed on several occasions over the past two plus years of its existence,” said Richard Thomas. Richard Thomas, the tri-state council chair for TU’s Delaware Conservation Workgroup “We have seen water levels drop and, as a result, expose critical aquatic wildlife and warm water conditions through areas of river which once ran cold, all while reservoir capacity levels are above normal,” Thomas said.

The three TU councils have developed a position paper called, “Root Causes” that spells out the reasons for this request for federal intervention. One reason is “over-drafting” taking more water than is needed, and “withholding,” retaining more water than is needed. Also, the paper addresses practices by New York City as the primary cause of release/flow issues from its dams that have been impacting the Delaware River for more than 40 years.

At issue is the “safe-yield,” that is, the measure of how much water can be continuously withdrawn as an out-of-basin diversion, from the system without causing a detrimental effect of the Upper Delaware system. It also looks at New York City’s Department of Environmental Protection and its inaccurate calculation of its water usage when determining the amount of water to release downstream from its three reservoirs.  It is the belief by the TU Councils that New York City has been overdrafting the system and inflating water usage estimates in order to hoard water.  The paper explains that this is adversely impacting the ecological health of the balance of the Delaware River and puts this national treasure at risk.

“Without intervention, these TU councils are concerned that the management of the Upper Delaware system will not change and thus the ecological conditions of the balance of the river will continue to deteriorate,” said Ron Urban, New York’s TU Council Chair.

 

2011 One Bug Dates Announced

The Friends of the Upper Delaware River (FUDR) have selected April 29, 30 and May 1, 2011 as for the 2011 One Bug Fly Fishing Tournament on the Upper Delaware River.

Since the very first One Bug, three years ago, FUDR has raised over $150,000 slated specifically for spawning habitat improvements on the tributaries of the Upper Delaware River System. Work has been completed on both Sands and Cadosia Creeks with additional restorations and improvements planned in the near future.

To compete in the 2011 One Bug call Dan Plummer at 607-363-2001or email catskilldan@mac.com

Mismanagement of Upper Delaware River Again Imperils Trout

September 2, 2010

For more information:
Dan Plummer, FUDR chairman
catskilldan@mac.com
(607) 363-7848

Summer 2010 Crisis Alert No. 3:

The summer season is ending the way it began, with the upper Delaware River’s wild trout at peril from rising water temperatures. Government mismanagement of this precious natural resource is largely at fault.

Friends of the Upper Delaware River, a nonprofit environmental group, is again calling on officials to respond to this emergency by ordering additional releases of cold water from the New York City reservoirs that feed the river.

“We are going to relentlessly keep the pressure on the water bureaucracy until they use some common sense to deal with this recurring crisis,” said Al Caucci, FUDR vice president and a legendary flyfisherman, guide and author. “All they need to do is open the spigot to allow more life-sustaining cold water to flow from the reservoirs. There is plenty of water to go around.”

On Monday, as water temperatures on the river reached 70 degrees in places, the New York City reservoirs were 75 percent full overall, with Roundout at 94 percent of capacity and the Croton system at 86 percent.

Water temperatures were expected to go even higher as air temperatures in the Hancock, N.Y., area were forecast to reach the 90s through Thursday. The river stretch from Hancock downstream to Lordville, N.Y., is regarded as the heart of the Delaware’s wild trout fishery.

Trout are subjected to potentially lethal stress when water temperatures rise above 68 degrees. The aquatic insects essential to keeping the trout healthy are at risk, as well.

FUDR is issuing its third water temperature “Crisis Alert” of the summer. Temperature spikes in late May and a sustained heat wave after July 4th took a deadly toll on the brown and rainbow trout that thrived in the Delaware’s main stem for more than 100 years.

Caucci says it has become abundantly clear that this federally designated National Wild and Scenic River has been subjected to mismanagement by the Delaware River Basin Commission, the multi-state entity charged with overseeing the system. Also to blame is the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, which has extraordinary influence with the DRBC.

Water temperatures are based largely on the volume of cold-water releases from the bottom of reservoirs, and protocols for the rates of release are spelled out in the so-called Flexible Flow Management Program, approved in 2007 by the commission.

FUDR has long been a critic of yo-yo water releases from the New York City reservoirs, which often flow heavy when trout need it least and are throttled down to a trickle when the fish need it most. FUDR advocates a common-sense release plan that would benefit the wildlife as well as those who live on and visit the river for recreation.

The simple solution, supported by environmental groups and fishery experts, is a steady release of water that will keep the water temperature below 68 degrees at Lordville.

FUDR and other interested parties have suggested a minimum flow rate of about 600 cubic feet per second out of Cannonsville Reservoir into the West Branch of the Delaware from April through September. Currently, the flow rate often is throttled back to about half that.

Even those who devised the flow plan now admit its shortcomings, but the water bureaucracy has refused to make the adjustments it knows are needed.

At the very least, the bureaucrats must devise a new water-release agreement that includes a rational emergency response mechanism to deal with these inevitable heat crises, or more preferably get a plan in place that actually works.

“It’s time, once and for all, to revamp and modernize the management plan to take into account the health of the river corridor, its fish life and the millions of folks who live here,” said Joe Demalderis, an upper Delaware River flyfishing guide and FUDR board member.

FUDR is urging the river’s residents, fishing enthusiasts, those who use the river system for recreation, and those in the region who earn a living from outdoors tourism to contact their elected officials or the DRBC to let them know that they value a healthy river and oppose the flawed flow plan.

Public Meeting on Hydraulic Fracturing to Take Place in Binghamton, NY

New York, NY – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has selected a new venue and dates for the public meeting on EPA’s upcoming hydraulic fracturing study originally scheduled for August 12, 2010. The meeting will now be held at the Broome County Forum Theater in Binghamton, New York, on September 13th and 15th, 2010. 

 

Meeting Information:

EPA will hold four identical sessions during a two day session at the same location:

 

Date:  Monday, September 13, 2010

Location:  Broome County Forum Theater, 236 Washington St., Binghamton

Time:

            •           12:00pm – 4:00pm (pre-registration begins at 10:30am)

            •           6:00pm – 10:00pm (pre-registration begins at 4:30pm)

 

Date:  Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Location:  Broome County Forum Theater, 236 Washington St., Binghamton

Time:

            •           12:00pm – 4:00pm (pre-registration begins at 10:30am)

            •           6:00pm – 10:00pm (pre-registration begins at 4:30pm)

 

Transition from the Postponed August 12 Meeting

The four sessions scheduled for September 13 and 15, 2010 will be identical to those already convened in Dallas, Texas; Denver, Colorado; and Canonsburg, Pennsylvania.   The agenda will match that of the meetings previously scheduled for August 12.  As with all previous meetings, EPA will make a short presentation at the beginning of each session and registered speakers will then have the opportunity to provide verbal or written comments directly to EPA.

 

All individuals who pre-registered for the August 12 meetings will retain their registration for the September 13 and 15 meetings. Because the timing of the sessions has changed from a one-day event to a two-day event and EPA has added another meeting session, EPA needs pre-registered individuals to specify the session they would like to attend.

            1.         Pre-registered speakers for the August 12 session will be sent an e-mail from the Cadmus Group requesting they select one preferred session in which to provide verbal comment.  The email notification will provide instructions on how to choose a session.  Speakers who pre-registered using the telephone registration will be contacted by Cadmus by phone to confirm their preferred session.  

            2.         Pre-registered attendees (those who opted not to give verbal comment) will be asked to indicate the session they would like to attend via the registration website.  The registration website is located at http://hfmeeting.cadmusweb.com and will open beginning at 9:00 am on Friday, September 3, 2010.

 

EPA is expecting room-capacity crowds at the Binghamton meeting sessions.  Pre-registering to attend the meetings will help EPA plan the meeting logistics and increase the likelihood that individuals will be able to attend their preferred sessions.  Individuals may pre-register for the meetings online at http://hfmeeting.cadmusweb.com or by calling 1-866-477-3635 (toll free). Online and telephone registration will remain open through 5:00 pm, September 10, 2010.  Those who are not pre-registered may still register to attend or provide verbal comment on the day of the meeting.  Verbal comments from individuals registered on-site will be accommodated as time allows.

 

EPA encourages the public to submit written comments on the proposed study, and relevant information and data by e-mail at hydraulic.fracturing@epa.gov through September 28, 2010. Please write “Hydraulic Fracturing Study – Comments” in the subject line of the message. Written comments may also be hand-delivered at the public meetings or sent to EPA at the following address:

Jill Dean

1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW

Mailcode 4606M

Washington, DC 20460.

 

EPA looks forward to receiving more public input on the upcoming research study on the potential relationship between hydraulic fracturing and drinking water.  

 

For additional questions or comments, please email hydraulic.fracturing@epa.gov or call 1-866-477-3635. Meeting information may be found on the EPA Hydraulic Fracturing Study website at http://water.epa.gov/type/groundwater/uic/class2/hydraulicfracturing/wells_hydroout.cfm.

 

Credentialed members of the media are encouraged to RSVP to senn.john@epa.gov by 5:00 pm, September 10, 2010. There will be a separate media registration table at the venue. The Forum Theater will be equipped with a mult box and Internet access

PA Fish and Boat Commission to Make Case for Severance Tax

Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) Executive Director John Arway will be the featured speaker at a special evening program being hosted by the Susquehanna Chapter of Trout Unlimited and the Clean Water Institute of Lycoming College to discuss Marcellus Shale.  The event will take place at 7 p.m. on September 22 in Room D-001 of the Academic Center on the Lycoming College campus. 

Joining Mr. Arway at the meeting will be William Worobec, president of the PFBC Board of Commissioners. Mr. Worobec represents the Commission’s 5th District, which includes Bradford, Columbia, Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder, Sullivan, Tioga and Union counties.

Mr. Arway will offer the Fish and Boat Commission’s perspective on the current and potential impacts of Marcellus development to aquatic resources, fishing and boating.  He will explain the Commission’s role as it relates to enforcing pollution laws and advising on Marcellus activities and make the case for enactment of the proposed severance tax.  He will also describe the authority to enforce water pollution laws vested in the Commission as far back as 1909 and the important roles that Commission staff continues to play in making sure that Marcellus and other projects are designed and implemented with as little impact to the resource as possible.  

Mr. Arway will explain how the Fish and Boat Commission wants to help the industry protect our waters and habitats and comply with the environmental laws that the General Assembly promulgates.  Most people do not realize that the Commission relies almost entirely on fishing licenses, boat registrations, and federal funding tied to fishing and boating to pay for everything it does.  This includes trying to keep pace and stay ahead of the curve on the current and projected impacts of Marcellus development to fishing, boating, and the resources the Commission is entrusted to protect.

In a sneak preview of his talk, Mr. Arway noted, “If we received a portion of a severance tax, we could take a collaborative approach with both the industry and the other agencies that are reviewing and advising on projects.  Ultimately, we would like to have Commission staff in position to spend the necessary time reviewing and commenting on projects, working in the field with developers and other agencies and enforcing the water pollution laws of the Commonwealth to make sure our resources are protected. I truly believe that the public expect that service from us, and the resources under our jurisdiction depend upon it to survive.”

Mismanagement Imperils Trout

With the National Weather Service forecasting high temperatures for the Upper Delaware River Region approaching or reaching 90 degrees through next Thursday, the Upper Delaware River can find itself in peril of over-heated river temperatures threatening the survival and health of its wild trout population.

Similar crisis of high water temperatures earlier most of the summer have already taken a major toll on the Main Stem brown and rainbow trout that that have called this river home for more than 100 years.

It's not the high temperatures alone that create this peril, but the continued mismanagement of this National Wild and Scenic River by the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) and its adherence to its adoption of a proven failed river management plan known as the Flexible Flow Management Plan (FFMP). Low releases throughout most of the summer, followed by erratic high releases, then drops to lower releases are harmful to the trout and the environment.

What is needed, and what leading environmental groups and fisheries agencies are advocating for a robust fishery, is a constant release that will keep the water temperature at Lordville on the Mainstem under 68F degrees. It has been proven that this can be accomplished without jeopardizing the NYC water supply.  Even the authors of the current plan now admit to major short comings and yet the water authorities refuse to make any changes.

Inaction has resulted in serious degradation of the riverine ecosystem and not only places the trout at harm but many other fish species and benthic wildlife.  It's time, once and for all, for the complete revamping and modernization of the management plan to take into account the health of the river corridor and its fish life and the millions of people that live downstream.  The Delaware River is the longest free flowing, un-dammed river, east of the Mississippi.

It's no wonder that American Rivers, a leading river environmental group placed the Upper Delaware River #1 on its list of imperiled rivers this year.

Fly Fishing Hall of Fame 2010

The Catskill Fly Fishing Center and Museum (CFFCM) is proud to present the Fly Fishing Hall of Fame Class of 2010 to be honored in a ceremony and dinner at the CFFCM at 3 PM on October 9, 2010.

The new inductees are: Louis Rhead, Jack Gartside, John Randolph, and Art Lee.

Read the complete story on the Catskill Fly Fishing Center and Museums website:
www.cffcm.net

Friends of the Upper Delaware River (FUDR) Annual Membership Drive

The Friends of the Upper Delaware River (FUDR) is holding their annual membership drive.  Below is a letter from Dan Plummer, Chairman of the Board of FUDR highlighting some of the accomlpishments and goals of FUDR.

Membership in FUDR is available in several levels:
Individual: $35.00
Family: $60.00
Patron: $100.00
Sponsor: $250.00
Benefactor: $500.00
Grand Benefactor: $1000.00

An easy online membership application can be found at: http://fudr.org/?page_id=38

FUDR started the 2010 season with our third annual One Bug™ fundraiser, held again this year in Hancock. It was bigger and better than ever. Fourteen teams competed, and with your help we raised more than $52,000 to benefit the local economy and support FUDR’s work protecting the fishery and habitat. Many healthy wild rainbows and browns were caught and CPR was performed on all fish: Catch, Photograph and Release. Thanks again to our loyal friends who joined us in this great way of celebrating the new season.

FUDR hired its first employee in January 2010. Sherri Resti of Hancock has joined our team as Executive Secretary. She has already proven to be a huge help in making FUDR operate more effectively and efficiently.

With summer comes the sad reality that the Upper Delaware continues to be subjected to the government’s mismanagement. FUDR remains the leader in challenging officials in our ongoing effort to protect and improve the world-class wild trout fishery on the West Branch, East Branch and Main stem of the Delaware River, while also addressing flood mitigation for the safety of local residents and visitors to the area.

Our greatest challenge is still addressing the inappropriately named Flexible Flow Management Program (FFMP). Implemented in September 2007, the program’s shortcomings have become more apparent as time goes by. We have seen little “flexibility,” and we have yet to see any beneficial “flow.” The FFMP simply does not provide the consistent cold-water bottom releases the wild rainbows, brown trout and insect life need to survive. The rivers have recently experienced two stretches in which water temperatures soared into the high 70’s and low 80’s from Hancock to Callicoon. And while the fragile river ecosystem was starved for cold water, the reservoirs that supply the East and West Branches of the Delaware sat at above 90 percent capacity. This simply does not make sense. With water temperatures soaring due to the flawed plan, countless insects were killed, habitat was destroyed and lives of all trout and wildlife disrupted.

FUDR has formed strong partnerships with other conservation groups and several anti-flooding interest groups to contest the current FFMP. FUDR called on the parties responsible for the faulty water release plan to overhaul the program to insure the safety of the residents along the river and to protect the fishery and habitat. Along with your efforts, FUDR helped stop the final approval of the FFMP, and FUDR hopes to be an integral part of the team designing a new release plan that will actually work.

The protection of our wild rainbow trout is a big concern. According to New York State catch records, the population of the rainbows has significantly dropped in recent years. The decline is attributed to high summer water temperatures in the Main stem and the loss of crucial spawning habitat in our tributaries. FUDR’s One Bug™ annual fundraiser over the last three years has raised nearly $100,000. We have committed to spending the majority of these funds on restoring Sands and Cadosia Creeks. FUDR, the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, Delaware County and the Town of Hancock have partnered to protect the lives and property of local residents and our precious wild rainbow and brown trout through continued stream restoration efforts in our area.

FUDR has taken a strong stand to protect residents and our resources from the threats of hydrofacking in the Marcellus Shale formation. We feel the industry is not ready to drill safely in our communities and the threats far out way the benefits at this time. FUDR agrees with many other residents and environmental organizations that the gas industry is not ready to drill in our basin safely and we will do all we can to prevent an accident that could cause harm to our health or pollute our waters.

We have hard work ahead if we are to meet our goals, and we need your help! Your donations, ideas and efforts are crucial as we try to convince government agencies that, when smartly managed, there is ample water available to satisfy all downstream users while allowing our fishery to reach its full potential. We are closer than ever to getting a release plan in place that will work, so continued diligence is crucial at this critical stage. I would like to thank all of you who have helped FUDR in the past and welcome all willing to help us in the future. We can’t do this alone, so please join us in protecting this amazing resource.

I am sure this letter contains too much information for some and not enough for others. Please know that I am personally available by email or phone to address any concerns or questions you may have. I’m always willing to listen. FUDR has extremely dedicated board members who receive no financial compensation for the countless hours they spend on this work. No other organization understands the needs of the Upper Delaware River better than FUDR. With your help, we can continue to fight valiantly for the health and safety of local residents, visitors and our beloved Delaware River system.

FUDR is a non-profit 501c-3 organization so please consider a tax-deductible donation; anything you can do will help. Please visit the FUDR web site at www.fudr.org for more information. Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Dan Plummer, Chairman of the Board
Friends of the Upper Delaware River
catskilldan@mac.com
607-363-7848

Mid August 2010 Upper Delaware River Fishing Report

Releases from Cannonsville Reservoir on the West Branch of the Delaware have been very consistent for the past two weeks with releases exceeding 1,000 CFS.  These heavy releases have resulted in the Main Stem of the Delaware becoming cold enough to trout fish almost as far down river as Callicoon.

Hatches have been good on most days with overcast and partly cloudy days providing dry fly fishing almost all day long on the West Branch.  Flies hatching are tricos, olives, some sulfurs, Cahills and isonychia.  As the end of the month nears, flying ants should start showing up in big numbers. These ants are readily eaten by the trout and run from a size 10 to 22 in both black and brown/cinnamon.

When there is no apparent insect activity fish can be taken on nymphs and streamers.  Pheasant tail nymphs, copper Johns and princes are good go to flies for nymphs and white zonkers and woolly buggers should turn some heads when streamer fishing.

Smallmouth bass fishing on the Delaware has been very good to excellent.  On the fly rod, Clouser's, woolly buggers, meat sticks, zonkers and various saltwater style streamers have all been working well.  Poppers and sliders bring their share of fish to the surface.  For the spin or bait caster, sienko's, swim jigs, tube jigs, stick baits, jerk baits and surface lures all produce well.  This time of year the bass start to key on the thousands of baby shad in the river so choosing a size and color become easier but don't hesitate to change if the action slows.

Our weekly fishing report for the Upper Delaware can be found at: Delaware River Report

Real time water flow date along with other information can be found here:  Delaware River Water Flow Data

The Nature Conservancy in Delaware - Delaware River Basin

The Nature Conservancy in Delaware - Delaware River Basin

The Delaware River begins its 400-plus-mile journey in New York’s Catskill Mountains, where cool springs establish the river’s East and West branches. Further south, the branches meet in Hancock, New York to form one of the only free-flowing major rivers remaining in the eastern United States.

With more than 300 miles designated “wild and scenic,” the Delaware is a river of tremendous biological, economic and cultural significance. Nearly 20 million people along the East Coast rely on its water for drinking and industrial purposes. They share the resource with shad, sturgeon, eel and other species that migrate through the river. Anglers and kayakers enjoy the Delaware’s scenic beauty, protected in places by five national park properties.

Read the rest at: http://www.nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/delaware/preserves/art31831.html

Stream Surveillance Training in Marcellus Shale Region

Trout Unlimited Provides Stream Surveillance Training to Pa. Members in Marcellus Shale Region

For Immediate Release:
Contact:
Deb Nardone, Pennsylvania Council of Trout Unlimited (814) 359-5233
Trout Unlimited Provides Stream Surveillance Training to Pa. Members in Marcellus Shale Region
Anglers will learn how to conduct water quality assessments.

Pleasant Gap, Pa.-- Trout Unlimited (TU) and its Pennsylvania Council have initiated a new program to train Pa. volunteers to use stream surveillance activities that monitor the impacts of Marcellus Shale development on streams where gas drilling is occurring.

Aimed at monitoring water quality in rivers and streams throughout Pennsylvania’s Marcellus region, the program will train volunteers to become part of its Coldwater Conservation Corps (CCC), a group that will serve as stream stewards.  They will conduct routine surveillance and monitoring of local waters by taking water samples, measuring stream flow and conducting visual assessments.

“Protecting coldwater fisheries is an integral part of TU’s mission and with over 11,000 TU members in Pennsylvania, we have the opportunity to take an active role in stream surveillance activities throughout the Marcellus Shale region,” said Elizabeth Maclin, TU’s Vice President for Eastern Conservation.  “As gas drilling activities increase, so does the potential for accidents and errors. It’s important to train anglers and other sportsmen and women to be the eyes and ears in their home waters,” Maclin said.

TU will conduct a series of these trainings throughout the Marcellus region. The first training for TU volunteers was held on July 17 in Emporium, Pa.  Additional trainings will be scheduled this fall.

Rivers and streams face numerous risks from drilling and extraction of gas, including increased erosion and sedimentation, water quantity and quality impacts due to water withdrawals for hydraulic fracturing and potential contamination problems associated with wastewater.

“We want to ensure that sportsmen and women play an integral role in preventing the destruction of important headwater habitats—the places where we fish and hunt,” said Dave Rothrock, president of TU’s Pennsylvania Council. “We must make sure that these rivers and streams remain healthy for future generations.” 

TU is piloting the program in the Sinnemahoning Creek watershed through a grant from the Headwaters Resource Conservation and Development Council and its Sinnemahoning Watershed Grant Program.  Additional funding provided by The Heinz Endowments will allow TU to implement the program statewide. 

The Endowments supports efforts to make southwestern Pennsylvania a premier place to live and work, a center for learning and educational excellence, and a region that embraces diversity and inclusion.
For additional information about the TU CCC program, contact Deb Nardone at (814) 359-5233 or dnardone@coldwaterheritage.org [1].

Hot Water Conditions Display Fatal Flaws In Delaware River Water Release Plan

Unprecedented warm water temperatures on the upper Delaware River this summer prove that the current river management plan does not work and must be revised, according to a nonprofit conservation group.
 

“The water bureaucrats will try to blame the weather,” said Dan Plummer, board chairman of Friends of the Upper Delaware River. “But after a wet and chilly spring and early summer, river temperatures reached a crisis level after just a few days of above-average temperatures. That points to mismanagement.”
 

FUDR says the hot water temperatures have placed fish, aquatic insects and the general well-being of the river system at peril due to insufficient cold-water releases from the region’s reservoirs. Water temperatures have consistently exceeded 80 degrees during July on the main stem of the Delaware at Callicoon, N.Y., where fishing traditionally has been great this time of year.
 

“I made a living guiding in that part of the river for years,” said Joe Demalderis, the 2010 Orvis Guide of the Year. “That stretch is lost to fishing under the release plan. The fish need cold water, and 80 degrees won’t cut it.”
 

Water temperatures are based largely on the volume of cold-water releases from the bottom of reservoirs, and protocols for the rates of release are spelled out in the so-called Flexible Flow Management Program, approved in 2007 by the multi-state water bureaucracy.
 

Longtime river observers, including a number of respected guides and the likes of FUDR board member Al Caucci, say the FFMP does not satisfy the needs of the fishery. FUDR has long advocated for a minimum release of 600 cubic feet per second from the Cannonsville Reservoir on the West Branch of the Delaware from April through September.
 

In recent weeks, vast numbers of dead fish—mainly white suckers but including some trout and American shad—have been observed in the river. Incredibly, some have publicly touted this as an example of the effectiveness of the FFMP--fish are dying, they say, but only bottom-feeding suckers. 

It’s an absurd spin on a crisis, said Plummer.
 

“The presence of dead fish, no matter the species, is a clear sign of an emergency,” he said.
 

On the first day of summer, FUDR issued a “crisis alert” predicting deadly water temperatures as a result of reservoir releases that had been throttled back to 420 cubic feet per second out of Cannonsville, even though the reservoir was 92 percent full.
 

The crisis came to pass in early July, when air temperatures reached the mid- and upper 90s as a warm front stalled over the area. Water temperatures in the main stem soon spiked above 80 degrees.
 

On July 4, after intercession by FUDR, River Master Gary Paulachok recognized the potential crisis and gained approval from the water bureaucracy to increase the flow through an “extraordinary needs” provision of the flow management plan. But here’s the catch: the “extraordinary” solution could be used for just three days. After 72 hours of temporary relief for the aquatic life, the Cannonsville release valves were cranked back down.
 

It was a keystone example of the ineffectiveness of the Flexible Flow Management Program, said Plummer.
 

On July 9, as the extra water was ending--despite reservoirs at nearly 90 percent of capacity--Plummer donned scuba gear and spent four hours surveying the fish in a pool near the Buckingham Access, fewer than 4 miles downstream from Hancock near the East-West branch junction. He found hundreds of eels, a handful of bass and a few dying American shad. He did not see a single trout, dead or alive. The water temperature in the pool was a consistent 77 degrees, top to bottom.
 

Once again, Friends of the Upper Delaware River implores the Delaware River Basin Commission and the water bureaucracy to devise a new water-release agreement that includes a rational emergency response mechanism to deal with inevitable heat crises.
 

“We all have to face the fact that the current plan is not working,” said Plummer. “The inability of the various government entities responsible to respond with a rational, useful solution to the warm July weather makes this painfully obvious, especially to the trout.”

Oil and Gas Drilling Reforms

Arcuri, Hinchey Continue Fight to

Strengthen Oil and Gas Drilling Reforms

Call on House Leadership to Ensure Onshore Drilling and Development .

Regulations are Included in Gulf Oil Spill Response Legislation Headed to House Floor

    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Reps. Michael Arcuri (NY-24) and Maurice Hinchey (NY-22) continued their fight to strengthen oil and natural gas drilling reforms by calling on House Leadership to ensure that legislation headed to the House Floor in response to the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico includes regulations and oversight to onshore as well as offshore development activities. 

    “Natural gas and oil drilling accidents that occur onshore can be just as environmentallydevastating as those that occur offshore,” said Arcuri.  “If the BP oil spill has taught us anything, it is that the oil and gas industries are incapable of regulating themselves, and that Congress must act swiftly to enact additional reforms and oversight in order to prevent a future catastrophe—on land or at sea.  That is why Congressman Hinchey and I have called on House Leadership to ensure legislation coming to the House Floor in response to the Gulf spill doesn’t continue to allow big oil and gas to cut corners when drilling in our communities as well as offshore.”

    “The BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico, along with scores of spills related to oil and gas drilling throughout the country, make it clear that we cannot and must not trust industry and lobbyist assurances regarding the safety and risks associated with drilling, regardless of whether they are talking about offshore or onshore activities,” said Hinchey. “That is why Congressman Arcuri and I are urging Speaker Pelosi and Leader Hoyer to ensure that the rules and regulations we put in place toprotect our water resources and local economies from drilling don't stop at the ocean's edge. Local industries and families have already been devastated by the negligence of energy companies in the Gulf.  We shouldn't wait for an environmental catastrophe to happen onshore before we pass commonsense legislation that ensures that all drilling companies are held to the highest possible environmental standards.”

    On Friday, Arcuri and Hinchey were joined by several other colleagues in sending a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer requesting that as legislation considered in response to the BP oil spill, the scope of environmental and safety regulations placed upon the oil and natural gas industries is notlimited to only offshore drilling and development activities.   Legislation removing exemptions and increasing regulations and oversight of oil and natural gas development, has come out of the House Committees on Energy and Commerce, Natural Resources, and Transportation and Infrastructure and will be considered on the House Floor in the coming weeks.

    The oil and gasindustries enjoy exemptions from nearly every major piece of environmental protection law that Congress has enacted to ensure public health by preserving our clean water and air.  They are currently the only industries that are exempted from complying with key elements of the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act. 

    Significant incidents, including spills and well blowouts similar to what happened at the BP Deepwater Horizon drilling site, have occurred recently at onshore drilling sites in Colorado, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming. 

    Both Arcuri andHinchey have offered legislation that would remove exemptions granted to the oil and natural gas industries through the Energy Policy Act of 2005 as part of an ongoing commitment to ensure that oil and gas development is conducted in a manner that does not threaten public health or the environment.

    Most recently, an amendment authored by Arcuri was included into the Oil Spill Accountability and Environmental Protection Act of 2010 (H.R. 5629), which was reported favorably out of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.  This amendment would remove the special exemption from the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) stormwater permit requirements through the Clean Water Act when constructing oil and natural gas drilling sites, helping to protectsurface water from drilling site runoff contamination. 

    Additionally, the FRAC Act, legislation co-authored by Hinchey and co-sponsored by Arcuri, would remove an exemption through the Safe Drinking Water Act for the hydraulic fracturing technique administered by the natural gas industry.  The FRAC Act would also require the oil and gas industry to disclose the chemicals they use in their hydraulic fracturing processes.  The bill is currently before the House Energy and Commerce Commit

Study of Water Impact on Delaware River From Gas Drilling

Hinchey, Holt, Sestak Secure House Panel Approval of

$1 Million to Study Cumulative Water Impacts of

Natural Gas Drilling in Delaware River Basin

 

    Washington, DC - Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), Congressman Rush Holt (D-NJ) and Congressman Joe Sestak (D-PA) today announced that they have secured approval from a key House panel of $1 million for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to conduct a cumulative impact study on water withdrawals for hydraulic fracturing of Marcellus Shale natural gas wells in the Delaware River Basin.  The House Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies this week approved the funding for the study, which would be conducted in partnership with the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC).

    "The expected scope of hydraulic fracturing in the Delaware River Basin and the prodigious water withdrawals for this process raise important questions and concerns about the cumulative impacts of natural gas exploration and drilling in the Basin.  It is estimated that more than 30,000 natural gas wells could be developed in the Upper Delaware River Basin in the coming years, and it is critical that we understand the impacts of these proposed activities upon the water resources of the Basin," said Hinchey, who in April called on the DRBC to conduct a cumulative impact study. "With over 15 million people relying on the Delaware River for clean drinking water, we simply cannot allow drilling to move forward without first giving full scrutiny to the cumulative effects on water resources throughout the region."

 

    “Hydraulic fracturing poses a possible health and environmental threat to the millions of people who make their home in the Delaware River watershed and the almost 10 percent of the nation’s population who rely on these waters for drinking, recreational, and industrial use.  We should not put these invaluable resources at risk. This funding would ensure that the Delaware River Basin Commission assess the cumulative impacts of oil and gas drilling before considering hydraulic fracturing proposals,” said Holt. 

 

    “There is extraordinary economic potential associated with the development of Marcellus Shale resources,” said Sestak. “However, as the oil spill in the Gulf and the recent explosion in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania reminds us, there is also great risk. One way to ensure proper development is understand the potential impacts.  That is why I supported the funding of the cumulative effects of drilling and operation of gas wells on the water supply in the Delaware River Basin.  With information from the study, we can make educated decisions on how best to minimize the impacts of drilling, while enhancing the benefits.”

 

    The study will evaluate the cumulative impacts on water supply and resources from additional water consumption for hydraulic fracturing, landscape alteration due to gas well pad development, and changes in water quality resulting from water discharges within the Basin. 

 

    Over 15 million people, including New York City and Philadelphia residents, depend on the water resources of the Delaware River Basin. While property owners and local businesses could benefit economically from drilling activities in the Basin, the study is necessary to ensure that these individuals as well as other stakeholders throughout the Basin are not adversely impacted by any Marcellus Shale natural gas development and that the region's water resources are fully protected.  The cumulative impact analysis will help to inform and guide DRBC management policies and practices that both enable economic progress and also ensure protection of public health and the environment.  The DRBC has regulatory jurisdiction over all water withdrawals and discharges for Marcellus Shale drilling in the Delaware River Basin.

 

    Hinchey continues to be a leading voice in federal efforts to protect drinking water and the environment from the risks of hydraulic fracturing. In April, Hinchey wrote to DRBC Executive Director Carol R. Collier to urge the agency to conduct a cumulative water impact study prior to permitting individual gas drilling projects in the Basin.  In March, the EPA announced that it had initiated a study on the environmental risks of hydraulic fracturing based on legislative language Hinchey authored.  Last year, Hinchey, Congresswoman Diana DeGette (D-CO), and several of his colleagues introduced the FRAC ACT -- Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act, which would close the loophole that exempted hydraulic fracturing from the Safe Drinking Water Act and require the oil and gas industry to disclose the chemicals they use in their hydraulic fracturing processes. Holt and Sestak have co-sponsored the legislation.

 

    Hinchey and Holt currently serve as co-chairs of the Congressional Delaware River Task Force, a bipartisan group of members of the U.S. House of Representatives from all four basin states (Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania) that coordinate congressional efforts to promote the restoration and vitality of the Delaware River Basin and its communities.

Upper Delaware River Fishing Reports

The Upper Delaware River System is a diverse fishery that changes seasonally and often times even daily.  What is commonly referred to as the Upper Delaware is really three rivers; the West Branch, East Branch and Main Stem.

The Upper Delaware is a tailwater system with bottom release dams feeding the East & West Branches.  The West Branch is the shorter river, some 15 miles from the dam to its junction with the East Branch, and as such provides the greatest influence of cold water to the Main Stem.  It also can remain cold enough throughout the season to support an excellent wild trout fishery.

The East Branch is longer, about twice the length of the West Branch and provides little or no cold water to the Main Stem.  The very upper few miles stay cold all season and provide an excellent spring creek type fishery for wild and hatchery trout.  In the Spring & Fall  the entire river is cold enough and hosts a fair number of transient spawning fish.

Conditions and fishing activity can be followed here where daily updates are usually provided: Fly Fishing The Upper Delaware River

Real-time water flow information for pertinent USGS river gauges, including water temperature where available are found here: Water Flow Data

Bookmark this page to stay in touch with the conditions and fishing on the Upper Delaware River.

Summer Trout Fishing on the Upper Delaware Delaware River

The explosion of life that takes place during the first six weeks of each season is truly impressive.  Mayflies are hatching everywhere.  Fishermen also seem to be hatching everywhere! Then late June arrives. The Glory Hatches are over... or are they?

When you get to the summer months the names of the bugs change.  Stenos, Cahill, slate drake, isonychia, and terrestrials enter your entomological vocabulary. You also need to change tactics in order to succeed. Wild trout move into better habitat, call it their summer homes. They adjust their feeding activity to avoid predators and at the same time capitalize on the available food supply.

A good part of the Upper Delaware system is supplied with cold clean water throughout the months when most other eastern trout fisheries are put on hold until the cooling days of autumn. Sometimes the river doesn't receive the amount of water it really needs and other times heavy rains provide too much, but in any event, the fishing remains worthwhile if you match your efforts to the conditions.

The lower East Branch, Main Stem and the lower portions of the West Branch often become warm and unfishable. That's when you do what the trout do; seek out colder water. This time of year your most important piece of equipment is a stream thermometer.

In your search for the cold water the fish call home, your best strategy is to move closer to the source. Moving up river until you find water in the low sixties or colder will do the trick. During heat waves and minimal reservoir releases this is from approximately the New York State Line and upriver on the West Branch, and often in the shadow of the dam on the East Branch.

Time of day is another important consideration. During low water release periods, the mornings and evenings are cooler, and the low light conditions make the trout feel a little more secure from predators. Things change when the reservoir releases 500cfs or more of water for several consecutive days.  Daytime insect activity will increase with the higher flows and the abundant food supply brings out the fish throughout the day.

Tackle selection and fly pattern style differ little from earlier in the season. A nine foot, four, five, or six weight still work fine. You may want to lean more towards the four and five weights and  a little softer tip to protect the lighter tippets you'll be using, but your favorite rod you use other times will still work fine. Tippet spools of 5X, 6X, & 7X and an assortment of dry flies and nymphs take care of the terminal end.

Your dry fly box should contain sulfurs, Cahills, caddis, isonychia, blue wing olives, tricos, spinners and terrestrial.  Emergers, comparaduns, parachutes and thorax styles will be your most productice patterns.

For nymphs and wet flies, an assortment of bead head pheasant tails, regular pheasant tails, partridge and yellows, partridge and greens, isonychia nymphs, zug bugs, princes, leadwing coachman, copper Johns and caddis pupa will cover the subsurface action.  Don't forget to have a few streamers stashed in your vest either.  During higher water times or when Summer storms dirty the water, stripping streamers is a proven tactic for hooking up with some big browns.

Summer fishing is at a more leisurely pace than the Spring and keeps you on your game for the last hurrah's of Autumn.

For a fun guided day of summertime fly fishing contact Cross Current Guide Service & Outfitters