Reply to unhappy Lackawaxen fishermen

Bryan Chikotas
Posted 8/21/12

[Editor’s note: On July 30, The River Reporter printed a letter from John and George Westenberger (www.riverreporter.com/letters-editor/4302/2014/07/30/why-stock-lackawaxen-river), who criticized …

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Reply to unhappy Lackawaxen fishermen

Posted

[Editor’s note: On July 30, The River Reporter printed a letter from John and George Westenberger (www.riverreporter.com/letters-editor/4302/2014/07/30/why-stock-lackawaxen-river), who criticized the lack of fishing opportunities on the Lackawaxen River this summer due to water releases from Lake Wallenpaupack to operate the PPL hydroelectric plant at Kimble, PA. The Westenbergers received a reply from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, and this version of that reply was forwarded from the commission to The River Reporter.]

John and George Westenberger:

Thank you for letting the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission know of your disappointment fishing the Lackawaxen River during this and last summer.

To explain:

The higher summer flows you experienced, even when it hasn’t rained, are the likely result of a water temperature enhancement program required as part of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) relicensing agreement, which requires PPL to regulate the river temperature in the Lackawaxen River below the Lake Wallenpaupack hydroelectric discharge during summer to benefit trout. The goal of this fairly new (2010) program is to keep river temperatures below 24 degrees Celsius (75.2 Fahrenheit) within a six-mile reach extending from the bridge at Kimble (RM 10) to the bridge at Rowland (RM 4) from June through September. The settlement agreement uses 75F as the target temperature, indicating that 77F will be used “during more severe meteorological and hydrological events.” PPL has always used 75F except when they have run out of water. Keeping this stretch of river at cooler temperatures should allow for trout to remain within and below the target zone throughout the hot summer months. During summer and early fall when the “natural” river temperature at Hawley (located upstream from the hydroelectric station) approaches 75F or greater, PPL releases water through the hydroelectric station that is drawn from the bottom of the reservoir/Lake Wallenpaupack. This cold water is released until river temperatures drop below 75F at the Rowland bridge location. During the warmest and driest time of summer, water releases through the hydroelectric station shift to larger pulse volumes (because coldest water in the reservoir is generally depleted by mid-June) from 37 to 150 cubic feet per second (cfs) to 225 cfs minimums (often higher) to better address temperature excursions predicted above 75F in the target zone. Note that larger volume releases travel faster and reach the thermal target zone faster and are more beneficial than smaller (slower moving) releases at mitigating stressful riverine conditions for trout. The downside of having larger releases periodically during summer is that the river frequently becomes impossible or too dangerous to wade fish as you mention. Your comments are greatly appreciated and will be considered in future discussions with PPL as we evaluate the program’s performance, especially in regard to opportunities to balance more fishable flows for wading with thermal benefits for trout. I’ve attached a link to the USGS gauging station at Rowland that provides river gage height, discharge and water temperature (waterdata.usgs.gov/pa/nwis/uv/?site_no=01432110&agency_cd=USGS), so you and your family can become informed on current river conditions and how the new operational releases from the hydroelectric station during summer might impact your future angling activities on the Lackawaxen downstream from the discharge.

In addition, the PFBC stocks 6,000 fingerling rainbow and 6,000 fingerling brown trout annually to enhance the fishery in coordination with the temperature regulation program, and we are hopeful that the thermal relief provided by the temperature regulation program during summer can improve trout fishing on the Lackawaxen River in the future.

[Bryan Chikotas is a fisheries biologist with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission stationed in Bushkill, PA.]

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