Transcript WaterQuality Quality Water & Habitat Management John Arway Environmental Services Division PA Fish & Boat Commission 28 September 2002

WaterQuality
Quality
Water
& Habitat Management
John Arway
Environmental Services Division
PA Fish & Boat Commission
28 September 2002
Why is the PFBC involved in WQ
and Habitat protection?
 Fish don’t vote!
 Fish don’t pay taxes!
 We speak for the fish!!!!
WQ & Habitat Protection
In April 1992 Dr. Goddard accepted the Ralph W. Abele
Conservation Heritage Award and said "with Ralph's
leadership, the Fish Commission was the environmental
conscience for the environment in Pennsylvania."
What Are the Threats?
WET
1972
They’re as Simple As----
DRY
ORANGE
Iron Precipitates
BLACK
Manganese Precipitates
WHITE
Aluminum Precipitates
BROWN
Sediment
Environmental Risk
Watershed Assessments
It’s the Law!!!!
• Most State and Federal laws and
regulations contain Fish & Wildlife
protection provisions.
• MOUs with other State and
Federal regulatory agencies.
• PFBC is a member of the EQB.
•Wild Trout= Exceptional Value
wetlands protection for wetlands in or
along the floodplain in 25 PA Code
Chapter 105
• Class A Wild Trout = High
Quality Cold Water Fishes in 25 PA
Code Chapter 93
• Wilderness Trout Streams=
Exceptional Value in Chapter 93
257 US ACOE 404 Permits
623 DEP Stream and Wetland
Encroachment Permits
Permit Reviews
13 DEP Water Allocation Permits
2900 PNDI Reviews
902 Aquatic Herbicide Permits
680 Timber Rattlesnake Hunt Permits
325 Triploid Grass
Carp Permits
2 FERC Hydropower Licenses
135 Scientific Collectors Permits
99 Lake Drawdown Permits
50 PennDOT Projects (including
130 Stream and Wetland
142 Mining Permits
encroachments)
69 Blasting Permits
Numbers per year
12 Landfill Projects
Annual PFBC Funding for WQ and Habitat
Protection Efforts
Fisheries
Fish
$727,000
Management,
LErie Research,
Fish Restoration
Law
$288,000
Enforcement
Environmental
Permit Review
Services Division Habitat
Management
T&E Species
Funded Projects
$1,405,000
$429,000
Annual PFBC Funding for WQ
and Habitat Protection Efforts
Total = $2.8 M
Is an ounce of prevention….
worth a pound of cure????
Why is the PFBC involved in Water
Pollution Enforcement & Habitat
Restoration?
Pollution Enforcement
Section 321 of the Fish and Boat Code
defines the Commission’s functions to
include both “promoting recreational
fishing and boating” as well as
“protection, propagation and
distribution of fish.”
Pollution Enforcement
PFBC jurisdictional species include:
Pollution Enforcement
Duckweed
 1866-Convention
was
Section
2504. A
Pollution
of Waters
.
held
in Harrisburg to investigate
sediment pollution in mountain
lakes and streams from timber
harvesting and dams blocking
American Shad runs.
Act 336 Creates first Commissioner
of Fisheries
Pollution Enforcement
1873-- PA Fish Commssion
created.
1909-- Legislation promulgted to
provide PFC with water pollution
enforcement authority.
Pollution Enforcement
Section 2502. Disturbance of
Waterways and Watersheds.
Trout Stream Habitat Improvement
2000-- Completed 57 Projects and 168 Devices
2001-- Completed 51 Projects and 199 Devices
Habitat Restoration
Trout Stream Habitat Restoration
BEFORE
Habitat Restoration
Trout Stream Habitat Restoration
AFTER
Habitat Restoration
Dam
Removals
on Trout
Streams
Six
Penny
Creek, Berks
County
• Pre-Dam removal
• 14 Brook Trout in 300 meters
• 6 kg/ha
• Post-Dam Removal
• 264 Brook Trout in 311 meters
• 88 kg/ha
Riparian Buffers
130,567 feet (24 miles) of
stream banks have been
protected by conservation
easements since 1984.
Habitat Restoration
PCBs in Wild and Hatchery Trout
PCBs
Environmental Contaminants
PFBC Hatchery Fish PCB Advisory Levels
(Modified Great Lakes Protocol (1993))
•
•
•
•
•
Group 1 (No Advisory): 0 - 0.06 ppm
Group 2 (1 meal/week - 52 meals/year): 0.10 - 0.2 ppm
Group 3 (1 meal/month - 12 meals/year): 0.21 - 1.0 ppm
Group 4 (6 meals/year): 1.1 - 1.9 ppm
Group 5 (No consumption): >1.9 ppm
Note: 1 ppm = 1 drop of chocolate in 64 quarts of milk!!!
Environmental Contaminants
PCB Advisories for Trout Waters
Trout
Species
Brown &
Rainbow
Advisory
Chester
All
Do not eat
Trindle
Spring Run
Cumberland
Rainbow
1 meal/month
Lake Erie
Erie
Steelhead
(Rainbow)
1 meal/month
Water
County
Tulpehocken
Creek
Berks
Valley Creek
Presque Isle Erie
Bay
Environmental Contaminants
1 meal/month
Steelhead 1 meal/month
PCBs in PFBC Hatchery Trout
SPMD Research Project
Environmental Contaminants
Fish Feed and Feed Component Results
 Fish Oils
<0.05 to 0.938
 Fish Meals
<0.05 to 0.102
Environmental Contaminants
• Fish Feed
<0.05 to 0.2
Results in mg/kg
PSU Study Results
With feed concentrations less than 0.126
ppm PCBs, concentrations in trout fillets
after 6 months of feeding did not exceed
0.10 ppm (1 meal/week).
Environmental Contaminants
Should we continue our fight for clean
water and good habitat or grow a…..
STAINLESS Steelhead Trout
(Robert B. Hesser, 1982)????