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

The Unknown Smallmouth Bass River

What are some of the rivers that come to mind when talking about smallmouth bass fishing?  Do rivers like Maine's Androscoggin River, West Virginia's New River, the John Day River in Oregon and Minnesota's Upper Mississippi enter your mind?

What would you think about a river that local guides claim is the best kept secret in the Northeast?

Healthy populations of smallmouth and prime habitat are what characterize any excellent bass river. But, like many destinations, they seem to always happen someplace too far for a comfortable drive.

The Upper Delaware hosts a world class smallmouth bass fishery yet is only a couple of hours drive from several major metropolitan areas. Its pristine enough to be given special protection by the US Department of the Interior.

In their July, 2007 issue, Field and Stream Magazine named the Upper Delaware River on the NY/PA border as one of the top five smallmouth bass rivers in the US. The four rivers mentioned in the first papagraph complete the line up.

These rivers all share the same common denominator; sizable self sustaining populations of river bred bass and ideal habitat for them to thrive. The Upper Delaware is close enough to New York, Northern New Jersey, Philadelphia and the metropolitan areas that surround them to be reached in a two to three hour drive.

Well known for its wild trout fishery, the Upper Delaware River's reputation as an excellent smallmouth bass fishery has until now, remained mostly local knowledge. From late June to the end of October the smallmouth bass is king. More than sixty miles of prime habitat is the reason these fish have flourished and driven the river into the "top five" status.

The deep pools, riffles, small rapids and deep runs of the Delaware provide an ideal home for these river residents. The abundant insect, baitfish and crayfish populations provide the fuel to these fish that have earned them the reputation as, inch for inch, the hardest fighting fish in freshwater. Whether you are a spin fisherman or fly fisherman the smallmouth bass of the Delaware are always willing to come out and provide excellent light tackle sport.

Cross Current Guide Service & Outfitters are the smallmouth bass experts on this river.  Call them for your day on the water.

National Wild & Scenic Rivers Act

It is hereby declared to be the policy of the United States that certain selected rivers of the Nation which, with their immediate environments, possess outstandingly remarkable scenic, recreational, geologic, fish and wildlife, historic, cultural or other similar values, shall be preserved in free-flowing condition, and that they and their immediate environments shall be protected for the benefit and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Congress declares that the established national policy of dams and other construction at appropriate sections of the rivers of the United States needs to be complemented by a policy that would preserve other selected rivers or sections thereof in their free-flowing condition to protect the water quality of such rivers and to fulfill other vital national conservation purposes. (Wild & Scenic Rivers Act, October 2, 1968)

What don't they understand?

Marcellus Shale - To Drill or Not To Drill in the Delaware Basin

In the Spring of 2009 the Columbia University Urban Design Research Seminar prepared a paper on "Visioning the Impacts of Natural Gas Extraction Along the Upper Delaware"

"This report aims to accomplish two goals: to inform broadly and induce involvement.  Seeking and implementing strategies in the Catskills that support both sustainable economic development and preservation of invaluable natural resources can only be accomplished wit the support of the individual citizen, elected local officials and regional policy makers.  These will be legal, political and scientific solutions that require the work of several generations to undo our past 'era of procrastination'.  Instead, in this 'period of consequences', where there is both severe urgency and great optimism, we are charged with - and capable of - solving our energy problems in our own backyard.  Be a critical contributor - get the facts and then decide on whether or not to drill."  Jennifer Grossman, Open Space Institute

This paper is available from the Open Space Institute in hard copy form by calling them at: 212-290-8200 or you can try contacting them via web-mail

How Much is a Healthy Delaware River Woth?

Find out how much a healthy Delaware River is worth. The Delaware Riverkeeper Network released a report; River Values-The Value of a Clean and Healthy Delaware River. The link below will take you there:

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