What a difference...

Last June the Delaware River and it's tribs were running at a trickle. The plants were wilting and oppressed by a drier, hotter than normal spring. Who remembers that in 2010 we endured the first of what would be many heatwaves -- in APRIL?

This year has (so far) been a weather paradise relatively speaking. Aquifers are recharged, the streams are perky, wetlands and vernal pools full, and it is surely the most lush greenery in recent memory (so far this century?).

Today was to be a river cleanup but the river is running several feet higher than our predetermined 'safe level' for that activity (about 5'), which involves picking up trash from islands and river banks. I'd like to say that we had to cancel because of high water, but the truth is it was cancelled 3 days ago due largely to apathy. The fact that it was rescheduled from June 4 also cut down on the number of signed up volunteers. Stay tuned as we may try again this fall.

The Delaware River @ Riegelsville crested at 11.5 feet last night and is falling this morning. That's about 6 feet more than the median flow for this date, which is huge. The river rose 5 feet in one day which is astounding for this time of year.

Upriver tributaries (from where I view the river in Upper Black Eddy) are also running high. The Musconetcong River @ Bloomsbury is around 3 feet (2.91). Yet some streams downriver from here showed there was little rain over the past few days. The Tohickon Creek is running at 1.91 feet which isn't enough water to paddle (without walking in some spots).

Folks who planned to go tubing or paddling the Delaware River today will be disappointed. It's muddy and not safe for novice paddlers and certainly unsafe for river potatoes (tubers).

Please Help on this LAST CALL!

(from Delaware Riverkeeper Network)

Last Call for Letters on Gas Drilling in the Delaware River Watershed! – Due April 15th

We are down to the wire friends!  This week is the last chance to weigh in on the proposed natural gas regulations for the Delaware River Watershed to protect our communities and the River from toxic gas drilling.  The Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) needs to receive your letter by mail or hand delivery by April 15^th at 5pm (or online at the National Park Service website by midnight on the 15^th).  Please write a letter NOW to keep a moratorium on drilling and share concerns about the inadequate draft gas regulations being considered that would harm the health of our communities and the River.

Click the link below to get more details and help with a sample letter.  Delaware Riverkeeper Network will hand deliver letters to the DRBC for you if we receive them by Friday at 1pm.  In under 2 minutes you can take action and weigh in on this crucial historic rule-making to protect our water.  Thanks for doing all you can.

http://www.delawareriverkeeper.org/act-now/urgent-details.aspx?Id=66

You can also submit comment electronically and online up to midnight on April 15^th by going directly to the National Park Service Link below.

http://parkplanning.nps.gov/projectHome.cfm?projectId=33467

Run of the Mill Flood...

As Delaware River floods go this one should stop just short of the "moderate" category.

The Musconetcong River never reached flood stage. The Lehigh River has crested and is falling so that means the Delaware River, which is a few feet over its banks will begin to fall sometime tonight. It's projected to reach 25.5 ft.

We need some of those sunny, cold March wind days to allow the watersheds to dry out a little bit.

Late Winter Flood....

The Delaware River at Riegelsville just spilled over its banks (22 feet), but it appears to be leveling off.

I drove up the river between Upper Black Eddy and Raubsville today and it was quite a spectacle. The river is lapping at the front of some homes in Carpentersville, large trees are bobbing down the river. At this level the river isn't much of a threat to anyone. It would have to rise a few more feet to do serious damage. No word on the status of the ice jams in the eddies of the Upper Delaware River.

Major tribs like the Lehigh River and the Musconetcong River have already started to fall so it's inevitable that the Delaware will be back down by tomorrow morning.

Slow Meltdown...

And so winter's grip holds tighter after that stunning glimpse of spring last week. Any snow that falls here on out won't stay around long.

The Delaware River and its tribs rose quickly after that 70 degree day and it was all snow and ice melt. The river at Riegelsville is running around 6' which is almost double the flow of the previous week, but still a moderate level for this time of year.

That's a great sign for all those who dwell by the river. There's still lots of thick ice in the lakes, and clogging the big eddies of the Upper Delaware River, but it looks like the trend towards gradual thawing and melting will continue.

Locked Up in the Watershed...

The Delaware River is running at summertime levels (3.90 @ Riegelsville) and that is because most of the precipitation that has fallen over the last few months has been in the form of snow and ice.

The entire watershed is covered with snow and the river and its tributaries contain thick ice sheets. This is the classic set-up for the most wicked type of flooding that occurs on the Delaware River and elsewhere. The last such event was 1996 and it impacted the Lower Delaware and many tributary streams such as the Perkiomen Creek.

Even though conditions are perfect for flooding it could turn out that we'll see a gradual melt and thaw period with little rain. It's also possible that a two foot snow will hit us, followed by heavy rain and warm temperatures. The winter ice-jam floods can occur anytime between January and March.

Stay tuned.

Dillution the sollution to pollution?

That's what the gas drillers in PA seem to think. Unfortunately, so do the regulators as this AP article points out.

"Industry representatives and the state's top environmental official insist that the wastewater from fracking has not caused serious harm anywhere in Pennsylvania, in part because it is safely diluted in the state's big rivers."

Ouch.

Help the Musky!

Please consider sending your own version of the below letter to the following email addresses: john.trontis@dep.state.nj.us, david.chanda@dep.state.nj.us, Amy.Cradic@dep.state.nj.us, beth@musconetcong.org

Robert Martin, Commissioner

New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection

December 27, 2010

Dear Commissioner Martin,

As a long-time member and former Executive Director of the Musconetcong Watershed Association, I am writing to request that the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection withdraw the “Low Water” paragraph from the DRAFT Lake Hopatcong Water Level Management Plan (LHWLMP). The state must carry out its duty protect vulnerable water resources for all citizens, even if that protection may sometimes come at the expense of commercial interests.

Please consider the following when making your decision in favor of protection of the Musconetcong River from potentially damaging low flow except in an emergency:

1) The Musconetcong River is a part of the National Wild and Scenic River System. This federal designation is conferred on the few rivers that can demonstrate “remarkably outstanding characteristics” and comes only after a rigorous eligibility study.

2) The Musconetcong River must be protected because it is a Category One waterbody under the N.J. Stormwater Regulations for most of its 42 miles. These antidegradation standards protect the river from measurable changes in water quality because of its Exceptional Ecological Significance.

3) The Musconetcong River is one of the premier trout streams in New Jersey and it is stocked by NJ Fish and Wildlife, reductions in the flow could devastate the fishery.

4) The Musconetcong River receives treated effluent from two municipal sewage treatment plants and adequate river flow is needed to handle such discharges.

Please do not put this outstanding river at risk by reducing outflows for the benefit of polluting powerboats, personal watercraft and a hand full of marina operators..

Sincerely,

My Fellow Rivergeeks..

I'm eagerly awaiting delivery of a Thule canoe rack system for my new (leased) car. This is the 'droughiest' period of no-paddling ever - haven't been out on the water since Labor Day weekend.

It's the time of year we love the small streams like the Musconetcong, Tohickon and Pine Barrens, assuming we continue to receive liquid precipitation, or at least some snow melt.

Any day now.

Drought Buster...

This has been a familiar pattern over the past ten years or so: an extended dry period or drought that is abruptly ended by a tropical storm, or hurricane.

We likely had enough extended soaking rain to break the drought warning, and more rain is on the way. My new hometown recorded over 8 inches.

It's important that this tropical precipitation occurs before the ground freezes so that some groundwater recharge can take place. Stream base flows and wetlands will be perky heading into next spring.

The Schuylkill River and Perkiomen Creek were two Delaware Basin streams that overflowed their banks. Most others like the Delaware itself and its other major tributaries merely flirted with flooding. The Delaware River at Riegelsville got up to 20+ feet, which is a few feet below flood stage.

The Musconetcong River came close and the Tohickon Creek was ripping. This is all good for those who like fall and winter paddling.

Baaaaaaack!

I've been too busy and way distracted to maintain this blog but will get back to it. Since the last post over a month ago I've moved to the Lehigh Valley, paddled just once on the Delaware River, began working for the Appalachian Mountain Club, visited the Lower Susquehanna in Lancaster and York counties, started a Feasibility Study for the 150 mile PA Highlands Trail, split up with Sharon, lost 5 pounds of useless ugly fat and an ounce of formerly useful...sanity.

Hey if you're a resident of Pennsyltucky consider going to the rally in Harrisburg. If you haven't been there for awhile it's a pretty nice town with great Susquehanna river front. Lobby the pols for a SEVERANCE TAX on gas drilling operations and more enviro protections.

Or give your reps a call or visit. If the legislation doesn't pass the state parks and open space protection will be in deep doodoo!

Tomorrow I'm heading up to the Mohican Center to hike the Appalachian Trail, look for rattlesnakes (will settle for copperheads), play the piano at the lodge and commune with the black bears. Hope to post some pics in a few days.

Gone Fishin'

I've been distracted by a new job and moving to a new home. Stay tuned...on hiatus until early September.