| Erie Times-News
Conowingo: Last dam before Chesapeake Bay no longer acts as pollution gate
Controversy rages over what, if anything, can be done about the polluted sediment behind the Conowingo, the last Susquehanna River dam before the bay.
Kaisha Young, Salisbury Daily Times
Woodcock Creek Lake has begun to rise again after frozen instrumentation in the dam caused water levels to drop dramatically early last week.
However, officials believe that any fish kill because of the water drop was very limited in the Crawford County reservoir.
“Woodcock Creek Lake is regaining decently, having already risen by 10 vertical feet by 5 p.m. on Thursday evening to 1,158.48 feet,” according to Lieutenant Colonel Timothy Butler, who serves as the Deputy Commander of the Pittsburgh District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
More: Frozen equipment leads to Woodcock Creek Lake's dramatic drop in water level
Woodcock Dam and the surrounding recreational land and facilities are owned and managed by the USACE.
“The cause of the pool elevation loss is still being investigated. It will take several weeks to identify all of the contributing factors, because we want to be sure as to the full picture.” Butler said Friday. “The dam is absolutely safe and functioning as part of the beautiful and valuable community resource which is the Woodcock Creek Lake project area.”
He confirmed that the lowest elevation recorded was at 7 a.m. on Monday, at 1,148.5 feet above sea level. The then-visible water was primarily in the original channel of Woodcock Creek which was impounded in 1973 when the dam was constructed.
Corps employees on Monday adjusted the dam gate settings to slow the draining; just the minimum allowable flow was maintained through the dam into the outflow as per the USACEwater control guidelines.
“Based on average rainfall and seasonal weather patterns, we conservatively anticipate Woodcock Lake will achieve its seasonal pool level by the end of March or early April," Butler said. "The target elevation for this time of year is 1,164.84 feet.”
Anglers have wondered about the survival of fish in such circumstances. Staff indicate that the upper gate dimensions are 3 feet by 3 feet, while the lower set of gates are 8 feet by 4 feet. Gamefish and other aquatic species can pass downstream through the gates.
More: Northwestern Pennsylvania weekend fishing report, March 12-14
Brian Ensign, Area 2 fisheries manager for the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, indicated that his agency’s personnel also were on site at Woodcock Lake and Creek earlier this week.
They examined the four miles of Woodcock Creek that stretches from the dam outflow to Saegertown where it joins French Creek. No dead or struggling fish were observed.
“It’s premature to speculate as to short-term or long-term impacts the unanticipated drawdown event may have on these fisheries,” Ensign said.
Marilyn Black is a freelance outdoors writer for Blackwolfe Communications LLC.
The Link LonkMarch 14, 2021 at 02:19AM
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Woodcock Creek Lake slowly regaining water levels after dam mishap; fish kill believed minimal - GoErie.com
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