| Southern Tier Fishing Conservation & Access Issues |
SUSQUEHANNA RIVER
- Proposed New Power Plant Would Discharge Hot Water into SusquehannaJune 2000 - A public hearing was held June 20, 2000 regarding siting of a new power plant on the Susquehanna near Lounsberry, NY (between Owego and Waverly). The plant would be a 520 kw gas-powered electricity generating station. It is reported to propose using 4 million gallons of water from the aquifer (groundwater) and discharging the waste water into the Susquehanna River at greater than 90 degrees F. Please email me if you have any additional facts on this and I will post them here.
CHEMUNG RIVER
- Miles of river access will be closed by Route 17 conversion to I-86.August 2000 - As an interstate "limited access" highway, the new I-86 will be fenced on both sides to prevent vehicles from entering or exiting anywhere except at on/off ramps. This will mean that most/all of the informal pull offs and dirt roads that allow the adventurous to drive down to various places along the old railroad right-of-way between Lowman and Elmira will be off-limits. The DEC Fisheries Division is aware of this, but said there is nothing that can be done. One solution would be to convert the old railbed bordering the river into an access corridor, in a Rails to Trails or similar project. Any volunteers out there?
Update - May 2003. The I-86 project has been delayed due to funding issues, and the Elmira to Lowman accesses are mostly still open. However, the threat remains. Proponents appear determined to make it happen regardless of how long it takes.
CHEMUNG RIVER
- Clearcutting in the Name of Flood Control???February 1998 - In the last few weeks work has begun to clearcut a river island in Corning, for the purpose of "eliminating a flood hazard" posed by the vegetation on the two islands. This work is being managed by a DEC employee so by inference has been approved by their permitting department.
It is hard to understand how this work makes any sense. To begin with, the area in question is already protected by substantial levees or reinforced rip-rapped banks on both sides, so the "flood threat" they cited as justification is baffling. But much worse yet is the fact that the island is being taken down to bare, loose dirt, with no provision to prevent erosion whenever the river level goes up even a little.
Tons of topsoil will undoubtedly wash into the river before the ground can be seeded in the spring. That will have a negative impact on survival of young fish, crayfish, and insects (and their eggs and larvae) that were deposited in that section of the river last fall. And although the water will flow faster through that section of river, anyone with a little knolwedge of hydrology will predict that the washed out dirt and gravel will just form a gravel/sand bar at the first bend downstream. Worse flooding or flooding in a new area may well result from this work.
Update - October 1999. The island has been turned into a gravel mining operation for local municipalities. Still no provisions have been made to prevent silt from washing into the river when the level rises a foot or so. No effort has been made to stabilize the soil by planting any sort of vegetation. Isn't this a clear violation of the Clean Water Act?
Update - June 2000. The island is gone - removed by Town of Corning personnel last summer. Flood waters are washing over the exposed mining area and no doubt washing tons of silt into the river. In low water, the flat is exposed gravel, silt, and sparse weeds.
CHEMUNG RIVER
- Gravel Mining in the RiverJanuary 1998 - There has been a report that the mouth of Wyncoop Creek where it empties into the Chemung River (near exit 59A) is being prepped for gravel mining. The operation is reported to be cutting mature trees, channelizing the creek bed, and depositing unwanted fill in the Chemung River. If the latter two are happening, it would seem to require an environmental impact statement and permits from the NYS DEC (under Title 6, section 422.3 of NYCRR) and the US Army Corps of Engineers (under Section 404 of the U.S. Clean Water Act). If gravel mining is to take place, then there should be a reclamation plan filed as well. In addition, the access road for this operation has been built directly under a Route 17 bridge, abutting the bridge support. One hopes highway engineers were consulted to assure the structural integrity of the bridge foundation given the settling and erosion the gravel trucks will likely cause once operations begin. Concerned citizens should make phone calls to the DEC and Corps of Engineers to research the permitting on this. Email this website if you uncover any new information.
Update - October 1999. Gravel mining has not taken place, but the access road under the highway bridge is still there.
Update - June 2000. No change - and we are still watching.
CHEMUNG RIVER
- Starving for water?One recurrent problem faced by the Chemung is adequate inflows in the summer months, resulting in very low water and water temperatures in the mid-80s. The Chemung is fed by two smaller rivers, the Cohocton, and the Tioga. The problems with the Cohocton are described below.
The Tioga River water level is controlled by a huge flood control project, the Tioga-Hammond Dams, built and operated by the US Army Corps of Engineers. (Those who lived through the 1972 flood will not bad-mouth flood control, certainly not in principle.) Part of the deal is that the lake is to be managed for recreation, also. Which means they like to keep the water level pretty stable, so the boat ramps and docks aren't left high and dry in times of drought. Problem is, then, they starve the river below in order to keep the lake levels stable, and the river damn near dries up!
CHEMUNG RIVER
- Recreational AccessThe Chemung River in the mid-90s was suffering from a decline in public recreational access points. Several county sites that were established in the 70s and 80s had been closed over the years by the landowners due to excessive littering and "partying". I am happy to report (October 1999) that things have definitely changed for the better! The Town of Ashland completed a brand new boat ramp in the summer of 1998 at the river crossing in Wellsburg. An existing Town of Big Flats launch off South Corning Road in Big Flats has received a new sign. The Fitches Bridge and Minier's Fields access points were turned over to the DEC, and received new signs, gravel parking lots, and improved ramps. And they are completing a new launch in Brandt Park in Elmira Southside this summer. For a list of recreational access points on the Chemung, click
here. SING SING CREEK (Big Flats NY) - Clearcutting and channelizing on airport property.
Sing Sing is another lesser known gem located right in the heart of Big Flats. It has some very nice secluded stretches where stocked trout rise to caddis and mayflies well into June. One such place is the meadow just west of the Quail Hollow housing development and Harris Hill Road, past where the creek goes under the road. I fished there one evening in late June and was blown away by the beauty of the fields and the stream surrounded by the hills.
February 1998 - The Elmira-Corning Regional Airport has resumed clearcutting and ditching Sing Sing Creek where it flows through its property, a few hundred yards above where the stocked fishing section begins. This was very obvious if you drive west on Route 17 from the Mall exit toward Corning. This is troubling for anyone who has fished for trout on Sing Sing Creek well into late June and found the water still delightfully cool. Ditching the feeders on airport property will raise the temperature of the creek and shorten the amount of time the stocked trout will be able to survive and act like real trout. Is this another "fog reduction" scheme the airport has cooked up? Flood control? December 1997 -Well, that beautiful meadow I mentioned above is now posted with flourescent pink No Trespassing signs. Some developers are apparently planning to sub-divide the meadow, build houses, and call it Soaring Ridge or something to that effect. The DEC has said they are unlikely to acquire public fishing rights to the creek given their limited funds, the price of the land, and the average quality of the stream compared to above average streams like Catherine's Creek. The older development next door has no provision for angler access, and a large section of the creek is posted where it flows through people's yards. This should be addressed at the Big Flats planning board -- they should be concerned about preserving the qualities of Big Flats that make it an attractive place to live, so it will still be attractive after this phenomenal growth period ends in a few years time.
Update - May 2003. Dirt roads have been cut on the property and some clearing has begun, but no development has taken place in the past several years. The land remains heavily posted, however. February 14, 1998 -- Sometime in 1998, a bridge over Cayuga Inlet collapsed, dumping three Conrail locomotives and a large quantity of diesel fuel into the creek. The spill has stressed the naturally reproducing rainbow trout fishery. DEC response was to limit take on the stream by reduced creel limits in 1999. Anyone with updated information please email me. The Cohocton has been targeted for water withdrawals during summer by the Avoca Gas Storage project. They plan to pump water out of the river and use it to dissolve salt deposits underground. Somehow a scheme was concocted whereby they would take the water directly out of the river during the summertime, instead of using well water, which was thought to have an adverse impact on the river. Go figure. This project went belly-up (bankrupt) once, but is now supposedly being resurrected by new business interests. As far as I know, they have still not found a place to put the millions of gallons of brine they will generate, nor have they predicted more than a handful of permanent jobs to be created. Is it worth risking miles of prime trout fishing water for that? Update - June 2000. The company originally proposing this scheme has gone into bankruptcy, but others have proposed picking up the project. It appears nothing is proceeding at this point, but it seems too early to say its dead. Catherine's Creek is known for its spring spawning run of rainbow trout, and has several stretches of public fishing access purchased by the state. During the winter of 1996/1997, a rapid snowmelt and rain created a flood which caused extensive damage to houses and businesses located on/near the creek. As soon as the weather warmed, and the water went down, the local departments of public works, highway departments, and private citizens put their bulldozers and backhoes into action, and promptly channelized about 5 miles of the creek, destabilizing the stream bed, filling pools and runs, and generally eliminating most structure that had survived the flooding. Update 4/19/98. According to Don Cook, President of the local Trout Unlimited chapter, the state has allocated $234,000 of Environmental Bond Act money for restoration work on Catherine's Creek. State Senator Randy Kuhl deserves special thanks for his efforts in winning approval for this funding. Preliminary word is that most of the work will consist of constructing rip-rap and digger pools. The original plan required $350,000, and a modified plan designed to optimize use of the smaller allocation is to be completed by the DEC by June 15. Update - June 2000. The DEC has begun improvements, and will continue this summer and next with the construction of additional hole diggers/rip-raps. Update - May 2003. Eight new hole diggers are installed, and six more are planned to go in this summer. Sections of stream have been planted with willows each of the past 2-3 summers. Individuals from the DEC, the local TU and FFF chapters, and workers from STC BOCES all deserve a sincere "thanks" for their work on this project. This little creek I discovered in 1997 by chance, and ended up going there several times and having a ball catching stocked brown trout from 9-13" long on dry flies. It was loaded with caddis larvae in the spring. Well, later in 1997, thanks to a tip-off by an alert neighbor, the DEC videotaped the workers at the Little Ceasar's Pizza in Hills Plaza on Lake Road, dumping a 55 gallon drum of used lard down the storm drain, which empties directly into Newtown Creek! The sting worked because these lamebrains had been doing it on a regular schedule once a month. Congratulations to the DEC enforcement guys for a job well done, and to that good citizen who blew the whistle! Anyone know if there has been any study of the damage done by the lard? (Would potentially lower the dissolved oxygen and cover the bottom with sludge, making it unsuitable for trout or caddisflies.) This nice little spot is described in the
Update - October 1999. Earlier this year, a teen died after falling on his head while hanging on the outside of a car being driven by his friend in the Sam's Club parking lot. Since they had been fishing prior to engaging in this dangerous behavior, it made sense to someone to close the canal to fishing. Why? Because of a mistaken belief that all fishermen are irresponsible reckless fools who pose a greater than average liability?
Concerned citizens may be able to get additional information by calling the local DEC office in Elmira (607-739-0809), or from one of the following groups or individuals at the DEC Region 8 office, 716-226-2466:Back to Southern Tier Fishing | Send comments to: jlively@stny.rr.com
Copyright 1997-2005 by John S. Lively. Unauthorized duplication or publication is prohibited.