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| General Commentary on the Latest Version of the FFMP
By *Robert A. Bachman, PhD "The FFMP is a great attempt at managing the reservoirs with out the impossible task of meeting some temperature target or flow target at great distances downstream of the reservoirs. Unfortunately, it contains a fatal flaw, which if not corrected, will undoubtedly result in the continued decline in the lower West Branch and Main Stem trout fishery. The flaw, to which I refer, is the lack of proper mandated releases from Cannonsville when the total system is in L2. The current FFMP would mandate a drop from releases as high as 1500 cfs to 260 cfs, even when Cannonsville is full in mid-summer. The nationally famous wild rainbow trout fishery in the Main Stem of the Delaware was created solely by releases from Cannonsville to satisfy the Montague target. Over the years, each subsequent modification to flow or release strategy for the Cannonsville Reservoir have gradually whittled away at the intensity and frequency of the Montague releases to the point where the Main Stem rainbow trout fishery has been mostly replaced by a lower density brown trout fishery, and insect hatches are less intense and more unpredictable. In previous release protocols, a "thermal bank" existed that, from time to time, made up for the lack of Montague releases. The current FFMP, as it now exists, no longer contains any habitat banks or thermal targets. Instead, it was understood (by many of the biologists involved with the concept of doing away with these onerous "banks"), that releases from the reservoirs tied to the storage in the reservoir would not only do away with any need for thermal releases, but would eliminate the so called YO-YO releases which are so detrimental to the entire coldwater ecosystem formed by the construction of these reservoirs. The drastic rise and fall of flow and temperature accompanied with Montague releases were supposed to be mitigated by realistic releases from the reservoirs as a function of the amount of water in the reservoirs. Fortunately, the releases in the FFMP for Pepacton and Neversink are an improvement over previous strategies, and these reservoirs have little effect on the Montague target. Cannonsville, however, is another matter. Under the existing FFMP release schedule, there will be an undetermined duration and frequency of releases from Cannonsville at 260 cfs during the summer. Even if Cannonsville were to be almost spilling, the current strategy mandates only a 260 cfs release. Such a release would have devastating effects on the West Branch and Main Stem trout fishery and their aquatic life, including the nationally-endangered dwarf wedge mussel. Fortunately, a simple solution is available to change a completely unacceptable flow program to one that would undoubtedly not only protect the remaining trout fishery but greatly improve it, most likely to a condition better than ever. All that is needed is to add three or more release levels from Cannonsville when the total reservoir system is in condition L2, with releases from Cannonsville tied to the storage in Cannonsville alone. It should be possible to make such a slight modification to the existing FFMP with virtually undetectable affects on any other users, NYC or downstream users. The concept is simple. As Cannonsville is drawn down, the releases from Cannonsville decrease proportionally, instead of a step drop to what are virtually drought conditions for the coldwater ecosystem. Then, if the reservoir refills as a result of a rain event, Cannonsville releases are accordingly increased. Under such a regime, the assumption that the "drought of record starts tomorrow" would be negated. Such a release protocol not only minimizes the YO-YO effect, but lessens the impact of the assumption that the "drought of record starts tomorrow", when it most patently is not occurring. Because the OASIS model makes this assumption, condemning the ecosystem to perpetually "drought" conditions, such a slight modification corrects for this understandable, but unrealistic assumption." *Commissioner Robert A. Bachman, PhD., Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission Commissioner Bachman was appointed by Governor Rendell to serve as a member of the Board of Commissioners of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission in April of this year. He earned his PhD from Penn State doing a four-year behavioral study of free-ranging wild and hatchery trout in a Pennsylvania stream in 1982. He has over 20 years experience in managing trout and other fish, including Director of Maryland's Fishery Service and Director of Fish and Wildlife in Maryland. During his service in Maryland he gained considerable expertise in the management of trout in and downstream of major reservoirs, working with the US Army Corps of Engineers, the City of Baltimore, the Potomac River Basin Commission and local communities to find a balance between the needs of the fish and other water uses. He currently serves on the Sub-Committee on Ecological Flows (SEF) of the Delaware River Basin Commission. |
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