Howdy River Folks,
Thanks to all the folks that came out for two cleanups this weekend. We did some work getting trash off the islands near Long Level, and the Save Stony Creek folks were working up near Dauphin. If you haven't heard, the Stony Creek folks had a great victory recently when Indiantown Gap decided (after much great work by Save Stony Creek) not to go through with their Firing Range expansion that would have cut off access to parts of Stony Creek Valley, and had a detrimental impact to this nearly pristine waterway just north of Harrisburg. Great work Debra and all the Stony Creek Folks!!!
I'm headed to DC next week for River Action Day where I will be meeting with Senators, Representatives, and their staffers. If anyone has any river-related legislative issues please email me this week.
Last week I met with Army Corps of Engineers folks and had some discussion on the Conowingo sediment issue. They are interested in looking at a proposed solution we have been researching, the dredging and use of the sediment as a construction aggregate. The material would be processed to remove and bind contaminants. The Susquehanna sediment is MUCH less contaminated than the incinerator ash aggregate we helped stop from being used, and the added value of a marketable finished product would greatly reduce the cost of removal and disposal... the main excuse for not doing anything about the serious threat we face down there.
(See Conowingo Dam under Current Issues on our site.)This weekend the heat, and other impacts, brought the oxygen levels in the Susquehanna way down and the water temperatures way up. We are getting reports of dead bass from Marysville to Safe Harbor Dam. Hundreds of fish were seen at Long level and dozens more at Goldsboro. Please take pictures of dead bass, particularly those with growths or lesions (which we are starting to see again). Any info on the state of the river is VERY important right now. We still don't know what exactly is causing these fish kills, and the more details we have the better chance we have of finding the source(s) of the problem.
Things are set for our Codorus Cleanup in 2 weeks. We'll meet in York, at Small Field, behind the National Guard Armory on North George Street. (If you're coming from the north, it's on your left – right before you hit the Codorus.) You can register any time after 9 am and work as long as you want. Parents must be there with their kids, at least to sign in and sign the liability waiver. Kids 8 to 13 should be accompanied by parents.
Please wear long pants, as there are some stinging nettles and poison around. Bring waders if you have them; we'll have a few pairs. We'll supply all the other gear, plus lunch is being provided by Central Family Restaurant and the North York Boro. Please email lowsusriver@hotmail.com or call 717-779-7915 if you can help with a pickup truck, or if you just want to let us know you're coming. This will help with the lunch count too.
You can
download our Clean Up flyer here. (It says CCIP, the group I worked with before Riverkeeper, but SOLS is really the sponsor.) Please print some out and post them wherever you can. Remember to tell all your friends! The cleanup will be some work, but its lots of fun too, and satisfying to see how nice the creek can be when we take care of it.
Thanks for everything you all do and to our new and renewing members. Remember, all donations to Stewards of the Lower Susquehanna are being matched by the Keith Campbell Foundation. Your $50 donation automatically becomes $100, and we could sure use it right now to keep going with our work. Thanks again.
From the Mighty Susquehanna, Michael R Helfrich
Lower Susquehanna RIVERKEEPER®
