Big_Spinner
Trout Hunter
Hi guys,
An update on river flow issues.
The RFAC (Regulated Flow Advisory Committee) of the DRBC met yesterday and it was an interesting meeting.
It was a bit disturbing that they have not met since almost a year ago!!! They have a tentative plan to meet again in 3 months, but there is so much still happening that I was disappointed that they did not feel the urgency to meet more often.
The other area of concern is how the decree parties continue to meet behind closed doors to form policies. They are currently meeting to discuss improvements to FFMP for the next generation. The current FFMP is set to expire in September of 2011. I am quite sure that FUDR and the flood groups will hold the decree parties feet to the fire for this lack of transparency. There are alot of smart, informed people that can help to craft the next generation of FFMP.
There was a great presentation given by PA concerning the NYS/PA joint paper on flows for the fish!! The paper can be seen on the DRBC website and suggests a release of 500 cfs as the minimum West Branch summer release. The agencies should be commended for getting "out of the box". It is another good step forward and merits some serious consideration by the parties.
There was a report about releases for this summer. The minimum release for the West Branch will be 325 cfs starting June 1st through August 31st. The release could drop to 300 should the reservoirs drain quickly, but if that happens, it would mean the area is dry and Montague releases will probably be much higher than the 300 anyway.
There was a good suggestion from the audience to try the NYS/PA joint paper recommendation for this summer. It really would have been the perfect time to "experiment" for one summer with the proposal.
Overall, the meeting was a bit frustrating, but there were some encouraging aspects. I still continue to see the glass as half full and slowly filling. There has been great progress from the way things used to be, but movement forward is slow and painful.
March browns are popping on the Mainstem and East Branch!!!
Jim
An update on river flow issues.
The RFAC (Regulated Flow Advisory Committee) of the DRBC met yesterday and it was an interesting meeting.
It was a bit disturbing that they have not met since almost a year ago!!! They have a tentative plan to meet again in 3 months, but there is so much still happening that I was disappointed that they did not feel the urgency to meet more often.
The other area of concern is how the decree parties continue to meet behind closed doors to form policies. They are currently meeting to discuss improvements to FFMP for the next generation. The current FFMP is set to expire in September of 2011. I am quite sure that FUDR and the flood groups will hold the decree parties feet to the fire for this lack of transparency. There are alot of smart, informed people that can help to craft the next generation of FFMP.
There was a great presentation given by PA concerning the NYS/PA joint paper on flows for the fish!! The paper can be seen on the DRBC website and suggests a release of 500 cfs as the minimum West Branch summer release. The agencies should be commended for getting "out of the box". It is another good step forward and merits some serious consideration by the parties.
There was a report about releases for this summer. The minimum release for the West Branch will be 325 cfs starting June 1st through August 31st. The release could drop to 300 should the reservoirs drain quickly, but if that happens, it would mean the area is dry and Montague releases will probably be much higher than the 300 anyway.
There was a good suggestion from the audience to try the NYS/PA joint paper recommendation for this summer. It really would have been the perfect time to "experiment" for one summer with the proposal.
Overall, the meeting was a bit frustrating, but there were some encouraging aspects. I still continue to see the glass as half full and slowly filling. There has been great progress from the way things used to be, but movement forward is slow and painful.
March browns are popping on the Mainstem and East Branch!!!
Jim
