From Pennsylvania Outdoor News
June 19, 2006
Town of DuBois rallies around trout stream project
By Matt Marusiak
Contributing Writer
DuBois, Pa. - Due to the efforts of sportsmen and community leaders, northwest Clearfield County will have a delayed-harvest, artificial-lure-only project.
On May 2, 2006, the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission approved a 1.37-mile DHALO section on the Sandy Lick Creek. The section begins upstream of the DuBois Mall at the confluence of the Sandy Lick with LaBorde Run, and extends to 100 meters downstream of Reisinger Run, near Martin's grocery store.
Starting in 2007, trout fishing in the section will be open year-round under DHALO regulations. Anglers can use only artificial lures or flies in the area. Trout may be harvested from June 15 until Labor Day. The daily limit during the harvest period is three trout, with a minimum size of 9 inches. Catch-and-release fishing will be permitted for the rest of the year.
The Sandy Lick in DuBois certainly doesn't look like trout water. Severely eroding banks plague the upper section, and the creek runs red from mine drainage.
The upper section of the proposed DHALO area
on the Sandy Lick Creek has eroded banks and
slow stream flows.
When George Kutskel, president of the Allegheny Mountain Chapter of Trout Unlimited, first heard that the City of DuBois was considering dredging the creek, he wasn't concerned from a conservation standpoint. He deemed the Sandy Lick to be a marginal, warm-water creek. As a DuBois taxpayer, however, Kutskel thought dredging would be a waste of money. He couldn't see the logic in "dredging a hole that will fill up again at the next rain."
Kutskel wanted the city to look at new ideas, such natural stream design to eliminate the need for dredging, He knew that tying recreation with natural stream design would get the city's attention, as well as generate community support. "The first step was to access the current state of the Sandy Lick," he said, "so I contacted Al Woomer, Fish & Boat Commission area fisheries manager, to arrange a fish survey."
Woomer arrived on August 3, 2005 to perform the survey. The summer had been hot, and the air temperature that day was 93º F. Kutskel met Woomer near the Shaffer Road bridge. Kutskel looked at the iron-laden water and said, "This is stupid."
Woomer responded, "We won't be here very long from the look of things." Fortunately, they were wrong.
Woomer checked the water quality. The water temperature was 68º F, and the pH was 6.8. Maybe fish would be in the stream after all. Woomer electro-shocked the creek - and he found fish. Pike, carp, suckers, darters, bass, and sculpin turned up. Woomer concluded that the creek "would support trout, but habitat is lacking."
Actually, the stream is a perfect candidate for a delayed harvest fishery. According to the Fish & Boat Commission's 1997 report "Management of Trout Fisheries in Pennsylvania Waters," the criteria for a delayed harvest project are low or no trout population, a high potential for recreational use, and stream temperatures that stay below 70º F until June 15.
The Sandy Lick's urban location, cool water temperatures, and abundance of fish except for trout make it ideal for this program, in spite of the mine drainage problem.
Mine drainage enters the creek upstream of the Shaffer Road bridge. This drainage is alkaline, not acidic, and it has dissolved iron instead of more toxic metals such as aluminum. The dissolved iron oxidizes when it contacts air, staining the creek bottom orange.
Although it's not appealing, and it does depress bug life, the constant-flow, cold temperature of the mine drainage actually benefits the creek by keeping the Sandy Lick cool during hot summer months.
"Of course, getting rid of the iron would make the creek even better," said Kutskel. " The attention now focused on the Sandy Lick inspired the creation of a task force to examine ways to clean the discharge."
The task force is comprised of leaders from Sandy Township, City of DuBois, the DuBois Mall, the Sandy Lick Creek Watershed Initiative, and Allegheny Mountain Chapter of Trout Unlimited.
Sandy Township has a keen interest in this initiative: it is seeking potential supplies for municipal water, and treating this mine drainage may provide one. The township is currently monitoring the discharge and collecting data for the design of a remediation system.
Additionally, the DHALO designation is creating interest in other improvement projects. Dave Keller, Fish & Boat Commission area habitat manager, appraised the site in March, and recommended stabilizing the stream banks in the upper sections.
Allegheny Mountain Chapter of Trout Unlimited, along with the local Boy Scouts and DuBois Area High School students, plans to start work on stream improvements by fall 2006. These projects will improve trout habitat, as well as reduce the amount of sediment that washes into the creek. "We'd like to employ natural stream design to eliminate the need for dredging," said Kutskel.
Steve Kepler, PFBC biologist, surveys
insect life in Sandy Lick Creek.
DuBois high school students are already getting involved with the Sandy Lick. On April 11, 2006, biology students participated in a bug study with Steve Kepler, Fish & Boat Commission fisheries biologist. They found midge larvae, caddis larvae, hellgrammites, and crayfish, and caught some small sculpins.
Kepler provided a learning experience for the students by discussing the classification of macroinvertebrates, and demonstrating the effects of mine drainage on the waterway.
"The DHALO project is becoming a community rally point, and divergent groups are getting involved in different aspects." Kutskel said.
"The cooperation between community leaders, conservation organizations, and state agencies will not only provide more recreational opportunities for anglers, but will help the DuBois community from an environmental and economic standpoint. When the trout win, everyone wins," he said.