Going down…

The Delaware River gage at Riegelsville shows the river is still surging up to 14’ (8’ short of flood stage).

It won’t crest and fall until most of the tributaries have done so, particularly the major streams like the Lehigh, Lackawaxen, and Musconetcong.

The Musconetcong River is still creeping up a bit but will fall far short of its 6’ flood stage. The Flatbrook, Paulinskill and Pequest have all flatlined or are falling.

The Lackawaxen has flatlined well below flood stage and most important of all, the Lehigh River at ‘O’ Little Town’ has turned the corner and crested. The Delaware River should soon crest near 14’.

It’s always interesting to note that – all things being equal – the Delaware River at Belvidere and Delaware River at Riegelsville typically run at the same level, and share the same flood stage number.

However, right now the river at Riegelsville is running 2’ higher than the upstream location. Most of that difference can be attributed to the Lehigh River, which joins the Delaware well below Belvidere and 9 miles upstream from Riegelsville. Note: The NYC reservoirs were full coming into the storm event.

As the second largest tributary to the Delaware River the Lehigh is the most important factor for both water quality and water quantity in the lower Delaware River below Easton.

We need a dry spell.

Nor’easter Express

Between two and four inches of rain with six inches in spots will make for some rip-roaring waterways.

The Delaware River at Riegelsville is already up to 10.21’ so a few more inches of rain could push it closer to flood stage than the last storm did (flood stage is 22’ @ Riegelsville). The Musconetcong River shot up to almost 4' overnight (1200 cfs) and while it's currently heading back down, another heavy dose of rain could take it out of its banks (6' is flood stage).

Last Saturday I spent the day staffing the DVD-ACA booth at The Jersey Paddler Expo, which was held at the the Garden State Expo Center. It was packed with people from all over the region (Lancaster, Dover, Cape May, NYC, etc.).

I fielded questions from folks interested in learning more about the Delaware River and other streams in the region, some wanted to know about camping opportunities, others about kayak instruction. The recent drowning in the Delaware River came up repeatedly. By the time the weekend ended I’m guessing we gave out several hundred copies of the Delaware River Water Trail Guide as well as ACA Safety brochures covering a variety of topics from cold water paddling to lowhead dams.

It’s clear that paddling (canoeing, kayaking and rafting) continues to grow in popularity and people are willing to spend money to pursue their passion. The potential constituency for river protection also continues to grow, although that will remain an untapped resource unless someone or some organization decides to reach out to this sleeping army of riverkeepers.

I am developing a mobilization and training program.

A Toh Day…

Paddlers can help the Pennsylvania Environmental Council improve the future of paddling on the tidal Delaware River by filling out a river recreation survey. Go to my FaceBook profile for a link. It takes about 10 minutes, is interesting and anonymous.

We had a mellow day on the Upper Tohickon Creek (yesterday) and it was running at a lazy 2.50’ or about 300 cfs. Chris Meyers and I paddled solo canoes and dawdled of wildlife and emerging spring foliage. Most conspicuous was the presence of lesser celadine. It’s an insidious invasive species with a pretty yellow flower. We observed a red tailed hawk fly over the creek with a young black snake in its clutch (lunch!), several wood duck, mergansers, and a trio of great blue heron.

Tripping on the river...

I led a trip on the Musconetcong River for Watershed Association last Saturday and it was great to be out on my favorite little river again; it was the first Musky trip this year. The weather was unseasonably warm and that was a good thing because three of the paddlers had five unplanned swims between them.

The river was running at 700 cfs or 3' at the Bloomsbury stream gage which is a slightly "pushy" level. We ran the Beattystown to Point Mountain section and observed wood ducks and a breeding pair of common mergansers.

I took a ride upriver from Yardley to Riegelsville earlier this week and saw an osprey flying around the Riegelsville Bank with a fish in its claws. They are back nesting on the cell phone tower behind the bank.

Coming back down the Bucks County side it appears that the canal repairs are almost completed, with the section below New Hope still under construction. We now have water in the canal in Yardley for the first time since we moved here tow years ago. Nice amenity...

Waters of March...

A quick look at the stream gages in the aftermath of a wicked nor'easter shows that several streams reached flood stage. Notable among these are the Flatbrook, Paulinskill, Pequest and Assunpink on the NJ side, and the Neshaminy and Brandywine on the PA side.

All the other usual suspects were ripping high but did not and will not flood this time (Musconetcong, Tohickon, Wickecheoke, etc.).

The Delaware River at Riegelsville is currently 15.18' or 7' below flood stage. It should crest tonight or tomorrow at around 18' (my unscientific estimate). The river is already nearing its crest point according to the Upper Delaware gages.

The Delaware River at Belvidere is only at 12.33' and it should be noted that - all things being equal - the gage usually reads about the same at both the Belvidere and R-ville locations and both have a 22' flood threshold. Why the three foot difference? Most likely the Lehigh River, which joins the Delaware below Belvidere, and influences the river below the confluence at Easton.

The Lehigh is already showing a drop at Lehighton, and it's just beginning to flatline at the Bethlehem gage. That's what we need to see before the Delaware River begins to level off.

LATE WINTER FLOOD?

Will we have a late winter flood on the Delaware this coming Monday? Maybe, but last Monday was a perfect winter day to be out on the river with paddling buddy Chris Meyers. We saw two powerboats and nobody else ventured out on the water. The river was running just above 5’, which is a nice level for winter paddling.

Delaware River near Devils Tea Table (March 1, 2010)

The river has steadily risen to over 6.75’ at the Riegelsville gage thanks to the warm weather and snow melt.

Next week is FLOOD SAFETY AWARENESS WEEK and if the impending storm acts as predicted floodplain dwellers will be acutely aware of flooding.

Rainfall in the amount of 2” to 4” is predicted for the Delaware River Basin and if it’s the higher amount many smaller streams could flood.Some locales could receive 5" or more.

Friends living along the Upper Delaware tell me that there isn’t much snow on the ground on the Catskill side of the river. I’m not sure if that applies to the Pocono Mountain side of the river. River ice appears to have disappeared. The three NYC reservoirs are down to 85% of capacity, which depending on where the rain falls, could help mitigate flooding on the Upper Delaware. NYC could lower the reservoirs to 50% and that would not necessarily eliminate the flood threat for those living below the confluence of the Delaware River and Lehigh River. The watershed of the Lehigh River alone is roughly equivalent in size to all three of the big reservoirs' watershed area combined.

Snow pack conditions in the East Branch Delaware and West Branch Delaware were “above normal” according to the National Weather Service Hydrologic Outlook report from Binghamton, NY (March 5). That has likely changed somewhat over the past several days, but this could still pose a major threat if heavy rain falls in the uppermost portion of the river basin.

There is probably some amount of snow left along the hemlock-shaded slopes of the tributary headwaters, and the ground is still fairly saturated; most of what falls on the watershed will rapidly runoff to the nearest waterway.

The Delaware River still has about 15’ to go to reach the top of its banks (at Riegelsville and Belvidere). I don’t expect that to happen unless rainfall amounts exceed what is predicted. Given that this storm will be a spinning nor’easter anything can happen. It’s certain that people will and should be nervous about the flooding potential.

It’s also certain that those of us who love to canoe and kayak will have lots of water for weeks to come.

Stay tuned, I’ll be updating the situation Saturday night or Sunday morning at the latest. In the meantime, visit the DRBC website for flood information.

Marcellus Threat to the River

If you care about the Delaware River – do something about it!

The Delaware River Basin Commission is considering the first permit applications for gas drilling (Stone Energy) in the Upper Delaware River Watershed.

This is a huge issue for the river and for the people who live within the Marcellus Shale formation. Drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus is going full-speed-ahead in PA in the absence of an adequate regulatory framework (state and federal regulations) and without an adequate state and local enforcement or monitoring presence.

Groundwater, drinking water, streams, forests, wetlands and aquatic life are threatened in part because of the successful efforts of an industry Dick to exempt natural gas drilling (and mountaintop mining for coal) from provisions of the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act and Clean Water Act.

Yes, that Dick, the former CEO of Halliburton and "We will, in fact, be greeted as liberators" VP for Bush II. Cheney's role in diminishing regulatory oversight is an amazing chapter in the saga of corporate pimping and congressional prostitution that has seized our government.

A good source of information on gas drilling and hydraulic fracturing is the website ProPublica.

If you care about the Delaware River please take the time to provide written comments directly to DRBC. You’ll find talking points and more information at the Delaware Riverkeeper Network.

Email your comments by March 5 to: Paula.Schmitt@drbc.state.nj.us

Deep long winter…

I put out a contract on Punxsutawney Phil, although it may be too late to bother with groundhog stew with the predicted “monster storm” headed from the Gulf of Mexico to the Delaware River via the Atlantic Coast.

And just as I was thinking how fortunate that relatively little snow is on the ground in the upper portion of the river basin, we’re faced with a couple of feet of snow for Hancock, NY and the surrounding region.

The piedmont Delaware River will probably get six to twelve inches (on top of the remaining half-foot from prior storms).

The chances for flooding will almost certainly increase with this impending storm. Of course we could luck out and have an extended, mild and sunny thaw. Sunny and windy is what we expect of March.

MARCELLUS SHALE HEARING

Today the DRBC is holding a hearing on the first permit applications for gas drilling in the Upper Delaware Watershed. You can provide written comments directly to DRBC - check the Delaware Riverkeeper website for talking points.

Email your comments to: Paula.Schmitt@drbc.state.nj.us

Save Walpack Bend!

Take action to save the Walpack Bend section of the Delaware River from the electric utilities.

Please stand up for the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area and one of the premier paddling and camping spots in our region by letting the National Park Service know you oppose PSE&G and PPL's proposed Susquehanna-Roseland Transmission Line Alternative Route B, which would seriously impair a portion of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area (DWGNRA), particularly where it would cross the Delaware River, just below Walpack Bend. Send this along to your friends and fellow paddlers too!

This link will take you to a recent article that describes the different route alternatives.
http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/ppl-may-need-to-consider-alternative-routes-for-power-line-1.615562

This is not an easy issue in that advocating for or against a particular route (A, B, or C) just puts the thing in other folk's backyards. And after researching this issue I would argue that the expansions should not occur at all if one considers the bigger picture: increased generating capacity created by coal fired power plants, some of which would be using coal from mountaintop removal and more importantly, dubious and unsubstantiated claims that this is needed in the first place.

If you are interested in learning more about the issues behind this proposal visit this website. You can also watch a You Tube video that features a few township mayors in NJ. 

Please note there is an existing 85' power line crossing this part of the river, but it is relatively small and not very intrusive compared to what is being proposed.
The proposed expanded 500 kilovolt transmission lines would be 195 feet, more than double the size of the existing line. That would create an obscene intrusion for paddlers, hikers, fishermen, camper and tourists, as well as severely degrade the Park and the Delaware River.

The National Park Service (NPS) is conducting an environmental impact study to document the impact these power lines will have on the natural resources and "visitor experiences." NPS provides a summary of the proposed project here: http://parkplanning.nps.gov/projectHome.cfm?parkId=220&projectId=25147

You can provide comments directly to the National Park Service here:
http://parkplanning.nps.gov/commentForm.cfm?parkID=220&projectID=25147&documentId=31664

Please tell NPS how important it is to preserve the scenic beauty in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Let them know how much you value the quality paddling experience found in the Walpack Bend portion of the Delaware River. Urge the National Park Service to deny approval of the Right-of-way Permit for Route B and forbid its crossing through this National Park.

Deadline for comments is March 5, 2010.

Uh oh…

I was just thinking how fortunate it was that relatively little snow fell on the upland portions of the Delaware River watershed last weekend, until the most recent storm watch came through this morning.

If it comes to pass as predicted and eastern Pennsylvania is where the next storm converges and “explodes” then Philly will end up with three to four feet of snow on the ground and the rest of the watershed going north could have two to three feet.

Creeks and rivers in the lower watershed (Brandywine, Perkiomen, Rancocas, Assunpink, etc.) will face an extreme risk for flooding. The big rivers (Delaware, Lehigh, Schuylkill) will also be looking at a really dangerous situation if there is a rainstorm and rapid snow melt, coupled with the potential for ice jams.

Maybe this storm will miss us. And if it does hit perhaps we will enter a long dry warm-up that takes us safely into spring.

Stay tuned.

Compelling read…

Finally, I am reading the second edition of “DAMMING THE DELAWARE: The Rise and Fall of Tocks Island Dam.”

I have a signed copy from the author, Richard C. Albert, who wrote: “Best wishes to a fellow River Rat.” Dick passed away unexpectedly a few months ago.

I read the first edition about seventeen years ago when I just beginning to lay the foundation for my own knowledge base about the river.

This reading is being undertaken with a very different perspective. I’ve left off with the Sunfish Pond chapter, which tells the story of how close this jewel along the Appalachian Trail came to being bulldozed, expanded and pumped.

Damming the Delaware starts out with the earliest controversies (eighteenth century) right to the Tocks Island battle. If you’re interested in the river read it as soon as possible.

Six weeks until Spring…

February can bring brutal winter weather at a time when most of us are tiring of the cold. There is solace in the fact that whatever comes won’t stick around for long and the days are getting longer.

In a few weeks the migrating ducks will be hanging out in the Lower Delaware River, patiently waiting for the ice to melt up north.

One of the smallest of these migrants is the Bufflehead. Strange looking birds they are because their ‘buffalo heads’ seem somewhat oversized for their small bodies.

Take a trip up River Road in a few weeks and you’ll probably see buffleheads, hooded merganser and other early migrants. The stretch between Morrisville and New Hope is a prime area to look for the early harbingers of spring.