mudbug201
loose loops, sink tips
Some of you probably saw this already - new agreement from the DRBC regarding thermal releases from Cannonsville. (Most important section is pasted below.)
My take is that this is very good news. It insures that the mainstem will stay cool enough to hold trout (under 75) all the way down to Lordville... now if only they'd put in a drift boat ramp
But more importantly, it's simple and transparent, so there will be no more confusion about what should happen when the river heats up.
(Btw, floating from Buckingham to Lordville for trout during a heatwave will still not generally be a good idea. 75 is way too hot to fish. but it won't kill the trout or force them to relocate.)
Thanks to FUDR for fighting for this.
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In March of 2018, the Delaware River Basin Commission reactivated the Subcommittee of Ecological Flows (SEF) consisting of state and federal officials and members of the UDR conservation community including Friends of the Upper Delaware River and Trout Unlimited.
Over the past 14 months SEF met 8 times and reached consensus on a proposal that is referred to as "Simple 75". That means whenever the water temperature at the USGS gauge at Lordville, NY is predicted to meet or exceed 75 degrees Fahrenheit, the NYSDEC will call for a thermal release from Cannonsville reservoir to keep water temperatures below 75 F.
Three important points of clarification with respect to the 75 F target at Lordville, NY:
My take is that this is very good news. It insures that the mainstem will stay cool enough to hold trout (under 75) all the way down to Lordville... now if only they'd put in a drift boat ramp

But more importantly, it's simple and transparent, so there will be no more confusion about what should happen when the river heats up.
(Btw, floating from Buckingham to Lordville for trout during a heatwave will still not generally be a good idea. 75 is way too hot to fish. but it won't kill the trout or force them to relocate.)
Thanks to FUDR for fighting for this.
---
In March of 2018, the Delaware River Basin Commission reactivated the Subcommittee of Ecological Flows (SEF) consisting of state and federal officials and members of the UDR conservation community including Friends of the Upper Delaware River and Trout Unlimited.
Over the past 14 months SEF met 8 times and reached consensus on a proposal that is referred to as "Simple 75". That means whenever the water temperature at the USGS gauge at Lordville, NY is predicted to meet or exceed 75 degrees Fahrenheit, the NYSDEC will call for a thermal release from Cannonsville reservoir to keep water temperatures below 75 F.
Three important points of clarification with respect to the 75 F target at Lordville, NY:
- Exceedances of 75 degrees at Lordville have significantly diminished since the FFMP baseline water releases were improved in 2011.
- Conservation interests on SEF successfully countered an initial proposal that called for a 77 F target at Lordville under certain conditions, a temperature that approaches lethality for trout.
- SEF made a commitment to study the possibilities of a 72 F target and to reconsider the size of the TMB should it bear out that 2500 cfs days is not enough to adequately protect the cold water ecosystem.