-------
Figure 2. Fish Passage Progress in Maryland
Maryland's Progress towards 2003
Fish Passage Goals
281.4
Total Miles Opened = 288.1 miles
2003 Goal = 388.65 miles
• Miles Opened
And Accessible
Through 1998
D Miles Opened
but Not Yet
Accessible
Through 1998
n Additional Miles
To Be Opened
Between 1999 |
and 2003 j
16
-------
Map 2: Fishway Progress in Maryland
Fish\\ay completed or in progress 1997-98
Fish\\ay completed before 1997
17
20
20 Mies
-------
PENNSYLVANIA
I. Fish Passage Initiatives
Table 3, Figure 3, and Map 3 at the end of this chapter provide details of 1997-98 fish passage
progress in Pennsylvania.
A. Completed Fishway Projects
1. Susquehanna Mainstem Blockages
Holtwood and Safe Harbor Darns, Susquehanna River, Lancaster and York Counties: Fish
lifts at Holtwood and Safe Harbor dams were completed and in service for the spring 1997
migratory fish season. Together they opened 32 miles of mainstem river to anadromous fish.
Each lift experienced mechanical problems, resulting in some out-of-service days. However,
both lifts functioned above expectations, considering it was their first season of operation.
During its first two years of operation, Holtwood fish lifts passed only about 30 percent of
those alosids passed at Conowingo Dam. The lift at Safe Harbor passed about 75 percent of
alosids successfully lifted at Holtwood in 1997 and 1998. Poor efficiency in 1998 could be
attributed to higher-than-normal river flows during the migratory season.
2. Tributary Blockages
Maple Grove Dam (Lancaster Township Dam). Little Conestoga River. Lancaster County:
The breaching and removal of Maple Grove Dam was completed in October 1997, opening
3.2 miles of habitat. Riparian vegetation restoration and stream bank stabilization activities in
formerly inundated areas upstream of the dam were completed in the spring of 1998.
Castle Fin Dam, Muddy Creek, York County: Breaching and removal of Castle Fin Dam was
completed in September 1997 without complications. Because of a natural cataract below the
dam site, this removal opened 4.3 miles of upstream habitat to resident fishes only.
Rock Hill Dam, Conestoga River. Lancaster. County: Rock Hill Dam was breached and
removed in early 1997, reopening 18.5 miles of the Conestoga River to anadromous fish runs.
Unnamed Dam. Fishing Creek. Clinton County: A dam on Fishing Creek in Clinton County
was breached and removed, opening seven miles stream habitat
Milesburg Generating Station Water Supply Dam. Spring Creek. Centre County: The dam
and impoundment provided a source of coolant water for the coal-powered electrical
generating station owned by Allegheny Power In 1998 Allegheny Power proposed to
dismantle the station. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC), which now owns
the dam, requested that Allegheny Power remove the dam along with the station. The dam
was breached and removed in August 1998. Removal of the dam opened two miles of stream
habitat along a significant section of Spring Creek, a premier cold water fishery.
Unnamed Dam, Kishacoquillas Creek. Mifflin County: Removal of the former mill dam near
18
-------
the intersection of the Kishacoquillas Creek and Route 322 was completed in December 1998.
The project was mitigation by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PADOT) for
impacts associated with previous road construction projects in the drainage. Removal of the
dam opened more than 20 miles of stream habitat, which will be made available to migratory
fishes once passage is provided at blockages downstream.
American Paper Products Dams. Conestoga River. Lancaster County. Engineering design for
removal of the two mill dams and a warehouse was completed in the spring of 1998. The
dams were breached and removed in September 1998; destruction of the warehouse began
shortly thereafter. Removal of the dams will open 2.5 miles of habitat, once passage is
provided at the next downstream blockage, the City of Lancaster Water Supply Dam.
Removal of the warehouse will clear space for the development of a public park.
Millport Conservancy Dam and Warwick Township Road Crossing. Lititz Run, Lancaster
County: Breaching and removal of the dam owned by the Millport Conservancy and a
concrete slab road crossing owned by Warwick Township was completed in December 1998.
Stream bank and riparian restoration in the former inundated area will be under way in 1999.
Removal of these blockages and associated habitat restoration activities are part of a much
larger effort conducted under the auspices of the award-winning Lititz Run Watershed
Alliance to restore stream habitat in the drainage. Removal of both impediments will open
four miles of migratory fish habitat, once fish passage at downstream blockages is completed.
East Petersburg Water Authority Dam. Little Conestoga River. Lancaster is County: The
former water supply dam was breached and removed in December 1998. Fish passage at
numerous blockages downstream needs to be addressed before migratory fish will have access
to this section of stream. Removal of the dam will open two miles of migratory fish habitat
upon completion offish passage at downstream blockages.
B. Fish Passage Progress
York Haven Dam. Susquehanna River. Dauphin County: The original open-gate design for
the East Channel Dam was modified following concerns from boating interests on Lake
Frederick. The new design incorporates an open channel with gate controls and a vertical slot
fishway. The conceptual design for the modified fishway was completed in 1997, and the
1993 Agreement between the utilities and fisheries interests was amended to reflect design
changes. The physical hydraulic model was tested, and construction and FERC permits were
acquired in 1998. Construction began in late July 1998 and, because of favorable weather, the
project is progressing ahead of schedule. The target in-service date for the fishway is April 1,
2000, but operational testing likely will occur in late 1999. This project will open 406 miles of
the Juniata and North and West Branches of the Susquehanna River.
City of Lancaster Water Supply Dam. Conestoga River. Lancaster County: The City of
Lancaster has acquired the assets of the Lancaster Water Authority. A contract for providing
fish passage between the PFBC and the city has been drafted and approved by legal council
and is in the process of being endorsed. The agreement calls for the engineering design of a
Denil fishway to be completed by the spring of 1999 and construction completed by the spring
of 2000. Settlement for construction of the fishway follows three years of negotiation
19
-------
between the PFBC and the City of Lancaster/Lancaster Water Authority. Bay Program
funding will finance 100 percent of the costs associated with the final engineering design and
50 percent of the construction costs. The city will provide the 50 percent non-federal match
for costs associated with construction. The dam is now the first barrier to migratory fishes on
the Conestoga River blocking 11 miles.
Iron Stone Mill Dam. Conestoga River. Lancaster County: Owners of the mill and
corresponding water supply dam have been notified of their obligation to provide fish passage.
USFWS and PFBC staff will be visiting the site in early 1999 to obtain the necessary
information for the development of a conceptual design for permanent fish passage facilities at
the dam
Hellburg's DamT Conestoga River. Lancaster County: The Hellburg's primary interests in
removing their dam is to eliminate a public safety hazard and the associated liability. A
contractual agreement between the PFBC and Hellburg's, providing reimbursement of 100
percent of the costs associated with removing the dam, has been fully executed. The
engineering design has been completed and the necessary permits have been acquired.
Removal of the dam is targeted for the fall of 1999. The dam is the third blockage on the
Conestoga River, located approximately four miles upstream of Iron Stone Mill Dam. Its
removal will open 17 miles of habitat on the Conestoga River and Cocalico Creek, a major
tributary.
Route 322 Dam. Conestoga River, Lancaster County: PADOT will be removing a former mill
dam at the intersection of the Conestoga River and U.S. Route 322 as part of a renovation
project to upgrade the roadway. PFBC staff is assisting PADOT with in the project. The
engineering design is complete and permits are being acquired. Removal is targeted for the
summer of 1999.
Iron Mine Run Dam (Dailey's Dam). Swatara Creek. Dauphin County: USFWS engineers
have determined that the dam in its present condition is not a complete blockage to migratory
fishes. Fish should be able to bypass the dam along the east shoreline where the dam is
approximately one foot in height. The PFBC will be monitoring to determine if the dam acts
as a significant impediment.
Hershey Food Corporation Dam. Swatara Creek. Dauphin and Lebanon Counties: The
USFWS engineering field office has completed conceptual designs for a Denil fishway to be
placed on the west side of the dam. The design has been forwarded to Hershey Food
Corporation's Environmental Division for comment. The PFBC is negotiating with Hershey
Foods to provide the non-federal match for fish passage implementation. At present, Hershey
Foods is deliberating the future needs of the dam. The possibility remains that the dam may be
breached and removed to fulfill fish passage obligations, restore stream habitat and eliminate
liability concerns. This dam is the first blockage on the Swatara. Implementation offish
passage or dam removal will open approximately 38 miles of stream to migratory fishes.
City of Lebanon Authority Water Dam. Swatara Creek. Dauphin and Lebanon Counties:
PFBC, USFWS and Lebanon Water Authority held an onsite meeting to discuss provisions for
passage at the dam. It was determined that passage could be provided by constructing a one-
20
-------
to two-foot-deep notch in the dam USFWS is developing a conceptual design. The PFBC
has offered Bay Program funding to finance 50 percent of the final design and 50 percent of
construction. The City of Lebanon Water Authority has agreed to construct fish passage
facilities following an agreement with Hershey Foods to implement fish passage at their dam,
located downstream. Implementation offish passage at the dam will open approximately 25
miles of stream once fish passage is provided at the downstream blockage.
Carson Long Military Institute Dam. Sherman Creek. Perry County: PFBC and USFWS
conducted a site visit to obtain information for the development of a conceptual design for fish
passage at the dam. Initial expectations are for a single section of Alaskan steeppass to be
installed along the dam's western abutment. Implementation offish passage at the dam will
open approximately 11 miles of stream to migratory fishes.
Hykes Mill Darn, West Conewago Creek. York County: Ice and high flows during 1996 and
1997 have continued to damage the dam, permitting passage of migratory fishes. The PFBC
will be monitoring for migratory fishes at the base of the dam to determine if it still acts as a
significant impediment.
Detter's Mill Dam. West Conewago Creek. York County: The Pennsylvania Department of
Environmental Protection (PADEP), Division of Dam Safety has finished reviewing county tax
maps and conducting a deed search to identify the owner of the dam. No owner was identified
and the Commonwealth is in the process of assuming ownership of the dam. The dam is in an
advanced state of disrepair. Breaching and removal has been identified as the preferred
method of mitigating impacts associated with the dam. Engineering design and acquisition of
necessary permits is under way, and removal is targeted for the fall of 1999. If necessary, a
public meeting will be held to address public concerns of removing the dam.
Good Hope Dam, Conodoguinet Creek. Cumberland County Good Hope Dam is in
advanced disrepair and has no identifiable owner. The PFBC has proposed removing the dam
for the purpose of restoring fish passage and stream habitat as well as eliminating a recognized
public safety hazard. A public meeting was held in spring 1998 to advance the proposal to
breach and remove the dam. Significant opposition to removal was expressed by riparian
property owners. PADEP, Division of Dam Safety and the PFBC have agreed to allow
groups favoring the dam's refurbishment to generate funding for repairs and implementation of
fish passage. A final decision regarding the dam will be made in 1999.
Cave Hill Dam. Conodoguinet Creek. Cumberland County: Cave Hill Dam is owned by the
Borough of Carlisle and serves as a municipal water supply Carlisle is in the process of
upgrading the facility, which includes refurbishing the dam As a permit requirement, the
defunct fishway at the dam will be upgraded and made operational. The final engineering
design for the fishway is being completed, with construction targeted for 1999.
Meiser's Mill Dam. Mahantango Creek. Perry County: A verbal agreement with the owner to
remove the dam has been reached, and a formal contract between the owner and PFBC has
been drafted and is under review. Engineering design and acquisition of necessary permits will
be initiated in the spring of 1999. Removal is targeted for the fall of 1999.
-------
Muren's Dam, South Branch Codorus Creek. York County: A verbal agreement with the
owner to remove the dam has been reached, and a formal contract between the owner and
PFBC has been drafted and is under review. Engineering design and the acquisition of
necessary permits will be initiated in the spring of 1999. Removal is targeted for the fall of
1999.
Edelman's DamT Middle Creek, Snyder County A verbal agreement with the owner to
remove the dam has been reached, and a formal contract between the owner and PFBC has
been drafted and is under review. Engineering design and the acquisition of necessary permits
will be initiated in the spring of 1999. Removal is targeted for the fall of 1999.
Barnitz Mill Dam. Yellow Breeches Creek. Cumberland County: A verbal agreement with the
owner to remove the dam has been reached, and a formal contract between the owner and
PFBC has been drafted and is under review Engineering design and the acquisition of
necessary permits will be initiated in the spring of 1999.
Brown's Dam, Mill Creek. Lancaster County: The owner of the dam has requested the
assistance of PFBC to explore removal of the dam. PFBC has contacted riparian property
owners to provide input on a proposal to remove the dam. Numerous responses have been
received, most in opposition. It has not yet been determined if the owner will proceed with
removal of the dam.
C. Monitoring and Stream Surveys
Conowingo Dam fish lifts collected a record 104,000 American shad and more than 370,000
blueback herring during the 1997 spring migration New fish lifts at Holtwood and Safe
Harbor passed 28,000 and 21,000 American shad, respectively. River herring passage at
Holtwood and Safe Harbor was 1,000 and 500, respectively. Otolith analysis determined that
60 percent of the returning adults were wild fish, and the remaining 40 percent were hatchery.
Monitoring of outmigrating juvenile American shad in the autumn of 1997 indicated only
limited reproduction of past and trucked adults, with approximately 11 percent of the
outmigrants collected above Conowingo Dam identified as wild fish
In 1998 Conowingo Dam fish lifts collected approximately 46,000 American shad and 5,000
blueback herring. Holtwood and Safe Harbor facilities passed 8,200 and 6,000 American
shad, respectively. Few river herring were caught at either facility. Otolith analysis
determined that 71 percent of the returning adults were wild fish, and the remaining 29 percent
were hatchery. Monitoring of outmigrating juvenile American shad in the autumn of 1998
indicated only limited reproduction of past and trucked adults, with approximately 7 percent of
the outmigrants collected above Conowingo Dam identified as wild fish. Higher than normal
river flows followed by elevated water temperatures affected lift efficiency and shortened the
duration of the spawning run. Runs of river herring were virtually missed because the lifts at
Conowingo were inoperable due to high flows
D. Trap, Transport and Stocking
The trap and transport of alosids from Conowingo Dam West fish lift was funded by the
22
-------
Susquehanna River Anadromous Fish Restoration Cooperative, with support from CBP.
Approximately 10,500 prespawn American shad and 28,000 blueback herring were
transported and stocked in 1997. The primary release site for shad was at the Tri-County
Marina, upstream of York Haven Dam. Herring were released at Tri-County (17,000) and
three tributaries: Conestoga River (3,100), Little Conestoga River (3,000) and Conodoguinet
Creek (5,000). In 1998 only 4,500 American shad were stocked at Tri-County. Transported
blueback herring numbered 4,700. Herring were stocked at Tri-County (1,000) and Little
Conestoga River (3,700). High spring flows reduced the West Lift's efficiency and the ability
to capture alosids early in the season.
A total of 22.8 million American shad eggs were received and incubated at PFBC Van Dyke
Anadromous Fish Research Station in 1997. Of these, 10.6 million (46 percent) were
successfully hatched. Approximately eight million American shad fry were marked and stocked
in the Susquehanna drainage, including three million in the Juniata River; 2.8 million in the
Susquehanna River; 620,000 in the West Branch of the Susquehanna River; 1.2 million in the
North Branch of Susquehanna River; and 405,000 in two lower tributaries, Conodoguinet
Creek and Conestoga River. Biomonitoring determined that approximately 89 percent of the
outmigrating juveniles captured in fall 1997 were of hatchery origin.
A total of 27.8 million American shad eggs were received and incubated at Van Dyke in 1998.
Of these, 15.9 million (57 percent) were successfully hatched. Approximately 11.8 million
American shad fry were marked and stocked in the Susquehanna drainage, including 7.7
million in the Juniata River; 1.8 million in the Susquehanna River; 56,000 in the West Branch
of the Susquehanna River; 1.1 million in the North Branch of the Susquehanna River; and 1.8
million into four lower tributaries, Swatara Creek, W. Conewago Creek, Conodoguinet Creek
and the Conestoga River. Biomonitoring determined that approximately 93 percent of the
outmigrating juveniles captured in fall 1998 were of hatchery origin. The USFWS Hatchery in
Lamar, PA began tank spawning operations and produced 3.2 million shad eggs from
Susquehanna River American shad.
II. Fish Passage Support Activities
A. Public Relations and Education
In 1997-98 PFBC staff displayed an exhibit on American shad restoration in the Susquehanna
River at events throughout Pennsylvania. Numerous slide presentations on migratory fish
restoration were given by staff to various sportsman, environmental and special interests
groups.
A dedication ceremony for the fish lifts at Holtwood and Safe Harbor was conducted in the
spring of 1997. The ceremony was by invitation only, and more than 200 dignitaries attended.
Media coverage of the ceremony was extensive. Public tours of the fish passage facilities at
Safe Harbor were booked throughout the lift operation season.
A shad festival and stocking event sponsored by PFBC and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation
was held in Huntingdon on the Juniata River during the spring of 1997 The event was
extensively covered by local newspaper, radio and television media.
23
-------
A Conservation Award was presented to the Borough of Huntingdon for constructing fish
passage facilities at their Water Supply Dam on Standing Stone Creek.
The PFBC Anadromous Fish Restoration Unit gave numerous tours of the Van Dyke
Research Station for Anadromous Fish to organizations and groups in 1997 and 1998.
B. Future Public Relations and Education
The PFBC will conduct additional media events pertaining to migratory fish restoration in the
Susquehanna Basin. Numerous slide presentations and exhibits on migratory fish restoration
also are scheduled for 1999.
A video outlining PFBC efforts to restore American shad and other migratory fishes was
completed by Commonwealth Media. It will be available for distribution to the public in 1999.
Planning for a shad educational event sponsored by the PFBC Bureau of Boating and
Education is under way. The event will be held at Holtwood and Safe Harbor dams in the
spring of 1999.
Initiatives to expand PFBC's public education and awareness efforts with regard to the CBP
and migratory fish restoration in Pennsylvania continue. PFBC, in conjunction with the CBP,
is planning a media event to cover the dedication of the new fishway at York Haven Dam in
the spring of 2000.
Pennsylvania's American shad restoration brochure will be revised and updated in late 1999.
III. Future Activities
A. Plans for 1999
Breach and remove Detter's Mill Dam, Hellburg's Dam, Meiser's Mill Dam, Muren's
Dam, Edleman's Dam and Barnitz Mill Dam.
Negotiate agreements for fish passage at Hershey Food Corporation Dam, Carson
Long Military Academy Dam, and Good Hope Dam.
Complete final engineering design for fish passage facilities at the Fabri Dam in
Sunbury, City of Lancaster Water Supply Dam, Hershey Food Corporation Dam, City
of Lebanon Water Authority Dam, Cave Hill Dam and Carson Long Military Academy
Dam.
Start construction of fishways at Cave Hill Dam and City of Lancaster Water Supply
Dam.
Continue to expand PFBC public education and awareness initiatives and to develop
programs to identify and acquire additional funding to supplement existing monies for
24
-------
the removal of tributary blockages.
B. Meeting the Chesapeake Bay Program's Five- and 10-Year Goals (1998 and 2003)
The five-year goal for Pennsylvania is 32 miles. This was achieved in 1997 with the
completion offish passage facilities at Holtwood and Safe Harbor dams. These projects also
made accessible an additional 38 miles of tributaries, third order or larger (not counted
toward goal), from their mouths to the first upstream blockage. Between 1996 and 1998,
105 miles of tributaries not previously included in Pennsylvania's Bay Program goals were
opened, following the completion offish passage and dam removal projects.
The 10-year goal for Pennsylvania is 520 miles. Pennsylvania will meet its 10-year goal once
fish passage is provided at York Haven Dam (in April 2000). Bonus miles will be acquired by
providing fish passage at high priority blockages.
25
-------
cs
CQ
•2 .>
OH S
'•'•*• % •'•*•• ^ •••
'^*'*^S*^?:^"
^ Njrt-V'C'*^
.^2^
v^4||^g
^•>?5^A1.>^;;
*% % ^* ^**
v'v/| ^1 '
^'^rt
5 ^.'•^.^
vrfA^.<|
^vS
''Tvs-'v.
^2 (_H
Z ^
II
UJ J
m
^ iU
CO O
S E
03 £
Ecu
>
« S>
> 60
£ 2
O o>
co O
o3 K
Unnamed Dam,
Fishing
Creek, Clinton Co
r-
oc
ON
ON
T3
CO O
03 S^
American Paper
Products Co. Dam
Conestoga River
oo
oo
ON
ON
-o
-2
_CD
CX
£
o
O
U
03
[T f
C-
oo
1
1
CN
°~^ o
^ 0
0) C
03 £
*^2
+_»
East Petersburg
Authority Dam, Li
Conestoga River
ON
-------
c
o
U
u
4)
o
OX)
.2
'£
s
c
i
1
1
oo
ON
ON
T3
2
£
"S,
E
0
o •
U
CQ
HH .
QH P-
^ E
fe H
> -^
9 °
5 '£
•<_ i-
S £
w >
fN
^
j= 5
% o
£ E
CQ £
Millport Conservancy
Dam, Lititz Run,
Conastoga River
o
00
ON
ON
TJ
_O
(U
"E,
E
0
U
U
CQ
HH
^ §•
<*> c?
&
> •*
9 ~
^ 1
PJ >
(N
^
j= SJ
8 1
£ E
CQ £
Unnamed dam (road
crossing), Lititz Run, ,
Conastoga River
o
00
ON
ON
T3
CD
JH
D.
E
0
U
H
O
0.
o
(N
<%
j= 9>
S o
£ E
CQ £
Unnamed Dam,
Kishacoquillas Creek,
Juniata River
•-;
00
ON
ON
-o
D
,2
cx
E
o
U
kj
^
c/i
C
M *
U (u
*>
^ 05
Q. —
0) W
Q J3
<* "S
D- Z
"-^
<^
•= >
% o
£ E
CQ £
Unnamed dam, Laurel
Creek, Juniata River
CN
00
ON
ON
-o
(U
JH
o.
£
o
U
>>
c
o
r-|
?P
^
OH
>/~,
' — '
<%
x: «
g o
£ E
CQ £
E'
<3 0>
Q e
JS j
111
1^
0) •— ; c<3
« *2 "S
O 0 S
ftJ ^ >5
^r
rr\
^i
("r\
r. l-1*
TD ON
(U ^^
•^J ^_^
o 13
5 ^
>< c
0) o
^ '•§
2 "E
4-1 S-t
c C
dl
U
CQ
UH
OjH
C/3
>
OH
UJ
r^
^r
««
-^ >
o ?r
e« O
£ E
CQ £
Hellburg's Dam,
Conestoga River
in
ON
ON
ON
r~~t
CJ)
c
* WH
CX
C^
0
ji
"E,
E
0
0
H
O
9
0-
fN
^
_e
OH
«
m
fN
^
JS §
« 1
£ £
« £
Detter's Mill Dam,
W. Conewago Creek
r-
-------
C
o
U
u
(O
W)
tSl
LZ
.S
'S
C
c
# ^ c
+ * ^f-. t
**y r ^ 'I
* /;
- * ^ **
<£ * ^ i:
_,+ Jj.
*•
^%
, - v.
, • <• i
;,vV,
A *. .> ^ >
' ss*V •'
f f *
§*
, ^ * .
'*?;J[
^ *"
* ^"V*"
* f •. s
% •* »
'^
-li
;....
Is
8L *%
^JiS*
'^S5>
*» .^
SJ,
h2
m.
E
%% j^
v, "r*.
' 1
,^l
'^ ^ '
I
U--
c
.2
OJ
"a.
E
o
o
^"
.«
cu
u-
-o
c
•^^ rr\
O g^
2 ON
*-* f— <
O ^2
c_j tf5
^0
i
ll
c
^
o
c
c
3
0$
_£-
(U
v_,
-S
C
3
'S ON
u^ O^
S '~-
o =
U «J3
C^D
§
< oa >
OH U- 'C
tU CU OH
C
^
0
c
c
3
°cj
1 1
m £
Edelman's Dam,
Middle Creek
ON
^
ON
ON
'O
CD
JO
Q.
O
O
1
'C
OH
^
'£
—•
V
ocj
t-"1 Q-)
^i- -v.
O
cd O
£ E
CQ £
S
o
T3
Q 2
g &
Cd 03 kj
111
^ rti UN
> h o
r-
ON
ON
T3
CU
_U
cx
E
0
O
>
ai
^
'£
^n
V
d^
V^H ^
cd O
£ £
PQ £
6
O
Yorktown Paper
Dam, tributary to
Codorus Creek
00
c
'o
00
o
_op
C/3
T3
l
cd
3
a.
o
c
o
U
c/i
a.cy —
° S 1
2o2
^
QJ -4— '
00 c3
to cd '
~ cd "£
c" °~ 3
0 «"S
o op i!
cd _•«
^ "o E *g
2 2. a) *H
Z j= a. ^
-*— »
"35
cd ^>
Q cd
'c ^
> «S
u-
(D
Fabri Dam,
Susquehanna Rivi
•4-^
C
0)
E
£
'3
cr
u-<
.
(U
O.
O
UJ
u-
&
ci u
•g 2 b
m
^_H'
00
•o
c
'£
UM
u
-a
2
£-5
Warrior Ridge D£
Frankstown Bran
Juniata River
M
c
*J-t
.S
'•*-»
o
oo
(U
^
c/5
s
< PQ >
OH UH 'C
U OH OH
*—N
V
<%
-c >
* §
V— 1 *"^
.CQ £
*— .
1
1
Q
Ol
i-*
O 4)
UN U.
CQ U
-------
e
o
U
cs
o.
JS
EA
E
'S
_>
en
e
c
CS
H
,v
,-?-V
ff '"ft
J'f"""'^''^
s* s •>
***** * '**J
•• ' ,» -V "»*
v.< •:•.*
W^W1*"*-*
! 1
& f| t
^^ O
>
PH -ti
pj O
, — ,
"^
(U
Q
Lancaster Water
Authority Dam,
Conestoga River
t/5
C
_o
2
-4— >
O
00
<0
U
CQ
U.
S;
C/3
&
^>
&
^H
^,
cu
tu
m
"*
'S
Q
Iron Stone Mill Dam,
Conestoga River
g
D
E
A}
l_
00
^^
15
0)
^
U
CQ
Pu
g;
00
&
S c
<7 0
e; c
^ o3
DH !L>
LU J
(N
^j-'
(N
O
O
Z
City of Lebanon
Water
Supply Dam,
Swatara Creek
C/3
C
2
o
0)
Z
o
CQ
U.
5;
oo
&
^f
z^
^-
•^,
O-
UJ
00
^
-o
Q,)
_c
S
_u
•o
c
^
Issack's Dam,
L. Conestoga River
cd
3
-f-»
C
•a"
•2
o
CX,
x
c
t o
'-*-> (-1
% ^
03 03
o
'S
-o
5
Good Hope
(Brenneman)
Dam, Conodoguinet
Creek
d 1
^
0)
'3
cr
ON
W ON
V- r— 1
U ^
*^3 ^H
^
3 §
•*-^ >^«
O -jri
«3 Ji
is "B
c p
58
U
CQ
flL,
5;
&o
&
^.
& aj
^^ -^^
>
UJ (X
c
o
c
c
3
°^
j- (1J
^ 0
-------
e
o
y,
M
u
T
PH
OJj
es
cs
0.
JS
V)
E
.5
'5
ce
e
cs
H
Is
T3 •—
(50 =
C t
o C
•° o
0 '•£
t "5.
1 1
u
CQ •
PM O 1
C?5 E-
% 0
§1
W D
c
o
c
c
3
,- (U
ll
CQ £
P on
II
D
= «
2 CQ
N >
•*-' »> k^
U. ^^ gj
CQ >• U
00
C
. „
Is
"o
oo
0)
Z
^D
w z
c
o
0 §
CQ 2
Li^ cC
D. U
o.
ID
-*_»
00
1 ^
0 0.
I-
Q 8
^0 C)
c ^^
o ^
= 1
o E
&o w
U oo
-------
Figure 3. Fish Passage Progress in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania's Progress Toward
2003 Fish Passage Goals
50.5
355.3
114.2
Total Miles Opened = 164 7 miles
i2003 Goal = 520 miles
I Miles Opened i
And Accessible
Through 1998
D Miles Opened
but Not Yet
Accessible
Through 1998
• Additional Miles
To Be Opened
Between 1999
and 2003
31
-------
Map 3: Fish-way Progress in Pennsylvania
PENNSYLVANIA
MARYLAND
Fishway completed or in progress 1997-98
Fishway completed before 1997
20
20
40 Mies
A
N
32
-------
VIRGINIA
I. Fish Passage Initiatives
Table 4, Figure 4 and Map 4 at the end of this chapter provide details of 1997-98 fish passage
progress in Virginia.
A. Completed Fish Passage Projects
In 1997 construction of a Denil fishway on Harvell Dam (Appomattox River) began and was
partially completed and operated in the spring of 1998. The Harvell fishway reopened 5.7
miles of the Appomattox River. Construction of a vertical slot fishway was begun in 1997 on
Bosher Dam (on the James River) and was substantially completed in 1998, but will not be
operational until the spring of 1999 The Bosher fishway reopens 137.6 miles of the James
River.
B. Fish Passage Progress
Harvell Dam. Appomattox River. City of Petersburg: Most of the construction of a Denil
fishway for this nine-foot-high dam was completed in accordance with Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission (FERC) orders. FERC also granted the owner's request to generate
up to March 1, 1997 even though the fishway was not yet completed. Permit amendments
were obtained from the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) and the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers (US COE) to allow for instream work during the 1997 spawning season,
as long as work was directly related to fishway construction. An official waiver of the
construction time-of-year restriction from FERC was granted, and fishway construction
reconvened. FERC also permitted start of generation prior to June 30, 1997, which allowed
for lowering the head pond elevation enough to continue construction.
Fortunately for the purposes of construction and dam leak repairs, Appomattox River flows
were relatively low in 1997. By the spring of 1998, the spillway entrance channel went online.
The owner did some preliminary fish counts at the exit channel window and reported seeing
thousands of gizzard shad, a few herring and shad and at least one small striped bass. The
Virginia coordinator worked with the owner to prepare him and his workers to identify fish.
After the 1998 spawning season, construction continued on the new hydropower units that are
adjacent to the fishway. In the spring of 1999, the tailrace entrance channel should be
operated to improve the fishway's efficiency at passing target species. The fishway reopened
5.7 miles of spawning habitat, up to the Abutment Dam at Petersburg.
Bosher Dam. James River. Henrico County. This 10-foot-high dam is the last blockage to
migratory fishes on the James River in Richmond. The recently constructed vertical slot
fishway reopens 137.6 mainstem miles of anadromous fish spawning habitat up to Lynchburg.
Approximately 200 miles of potential spawning habitat on tributaries also will become
accessible, including 36.3 miles of documented spawning habitat on the Rivanna River. This
fishway is a major milestone for the Virginia Fish Passage Project as well as for the CBP.
USFWS provided a conceptual plan in 1994. Funding for the final design was provided by an
33
-------
EPA/NOAA grant to the VDGIF, which was, in turn, granted to the City of Richmond (City)
to hire J.K. Timmons & Associates in February 1996. The final design was completed in
August 1996. Three construction bids were opened on September 13, 1996 and,
unfortunately, the lowest bid was more than twice the budget. A construction grant was
approved by City Council pending sufficient fund raising.
Additional fund raising, coordinated by the James River Association, became the main focus
of this project. The following entities committed additional funding to the project: (1) the
Virginia General Assembly, (2) VMRC (from recreational and commercial licenses), (3) the
City of Richmond, (4) Henrico County and (5) several charitable foundations. Also,
additional EPA/NOAA grant funds became available because the Ashland Mill Dam and
Ruffins Pond Dam projects were postponed and the funding was transferred to the Bosher
project to help meet the low bid.
All permitting was finalized, and an official Notice to Proceed was issued on June 23, 1997.
A ground-breaking ceremony followed in July. Despite relatively low flows on the James
River early on, progress was delayed significantly by high water when the river rose to three-
fourths bank full in November. After raising and armoring the lower cofferdam, English
Construction, Inc. installed the attraction water manhole and 48-inch pipe. Completion was
initially scheduled for March 1998, in time for the spring spawning run of American shad and
river herring.
Severe flooding of the James River occurred from January through May 1998, thus preventing
construction progress. The 1998 spawning run was missed. The river returned to and
remained at normal flows through the end of 1998, allowing the fishway to be substantially
completed. The only remaining work at the end of 1998 was to finish installing some baffles
and remove the cofferdams. In 1999 the VDGIF will evaluate the efficiency of the fishway
and collect a small subsample of adult shad as part of the hatchery product evaluation.
Ashland Mill Dam. South Anna River: No action was taken on this issue in 1997 or 1998,
other than to continue to document the shad and herring reaching the dam. This project was
postponed in 1995 when the owner would not fully cooperate. CBP funds originally granted
for the Ashland project were extended and transferred to the Ruffins Pond Dam fishway
project in 1995 and then to the Bosher Dam fishway project in 1997.
Ruffins Pond Dam. Massaponax Creek. Rappahannock River. CBP funds originally
designated for fish passage at Ashland Mill Dam were extended and transferred in 1995 to
Ruffins Pond Dam near Fredericksburg. There is a good herring run at this dam, which is
about a quarter mile from the confluence with the Rappahannock River. This 16-foot-high
dam blocks 3.5 miles of Massaponax Creek and 4.5 miles of a permanent tributary for a total
of eight miles.
J.K. Timmons & Associates completed the final design for this fishway in 1996, and bids
were opened on February 26, 1997. Unfortunately, both bids were more than twice the
amount of grant money remaining for construction. The dam owner, Tarmac, considered
donating concrete and rip-rap. However, there was still insufficient funding to proceed. Since
the Grant Contract between VDGIF and Tarmac clearly stated that neither party was
obligated over and above the original grant contract amount, VDGIF received a grant
amendment and extension to use the money on the Bosher Dam fishway.
34
-------
Embrey Dam. Rappahannock River, Spotsylvania County: This 22-foot-high dam on the
Rappahannock River in Fredericksburg is the only mainstem migration impediment. Fish
passage at Embrey would reopen 70.6 miles of the mainstem Rappahannock. In 1994 a
sediment study was conducted to determine if toxic substances are present in the sediment
behind the dam. Early in 1995 the Virginia DEQ determined that these sediments are
comparable to other sediments upstream and that there was very low probability of
characterizing them as hazardous waste as defined in VR 672-20-10. These results allow for
consideration of removing all or part of the dam.
The City of Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County are building a cooperative water plant at
Mott's Run Reservoir, which is on a tributary to the Rappahannock a few miles upstream of
Embrey. This will make Embrey obsolete as a drinking water supply by early 1999.
In February 1997 the VDGIF was instructed by Virginia Senate Joint Resolution No. 296 to
conduct a feasibility study on providing fish passage at Embrey Dam. J.K. Timmons &
Associates was hired in June 1997 to complete this study, which included a synthesis of all
previous studies; the development of technical and local decision matrices; recommendations;
and cost estimates for various scenarios. Timmons subcontracted GKY & Associates to
evaluate the sediment load entrapped by the dam and to conduct a sediment fate and transport
study (FffiC-6 model). Throughout the study all interested parties and agencies were included
in discussions, and their comments were incorporated in the decision-making process. The
report was submitted to the General Assembly in December for review in the 1998 session.
The study (Senate Document J8) is now available for use in the decision-making process.
In 1998 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers conducted a reconnaissance study of the proposed
environmental restoration project on the Rappahannock River that consists primarily of the
Embrey issue. The reconnaissance phase was 100 percent federally funded. During that phase
a federal interest was determined and the potential cost-sharing partners for a three-year
feasibility study were identified The feasibility study will require a 50 percent non-federal
match. If the Commonwealth of Virginia, the City of Fredericksburg and possibly Stafford
County, agree to the project and secure the appropriate funding, the feasibility study will
proceed. Under this scenario, the dam would not be removed until at least 2003
C. Monitoring and Stream Surveys
Adult Alosid Monitoring: During the springs of 1997 and 1998 shad and herring spawning
runs were monitored by the Fish Passage Coordinator and other Fish Division staff throughout
Virginia. Electrofishing for Alosa spp. was conducted at the following sites: below Harvell
Dam on the Appomattox River; in Swift Creek (tributary to Appomattox); below Walker's
Dam on the Chickahominy River; below Embrey Dam down to the fall line/tidal interface on
the Rappahannock River at Rt. 1; below Ashland Mill Dam on the South Anna River; and in
the upper Mattaponi River American shad showed up in collections for the first time in
several years at Harvell and Embrey dams in 1998. Under a City of Richmond contract,
Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) monitored the James River at the base of the fall
line (at 14th Street) and below Bosher Dam. A few bluebacks were also seen at Bosher Dam
in 1998. Commercial watermen working for VDGIF and USFWS also monitored American
shad on the Pamunkey River during egg collection. VCU biologists determined age and
growth rates for broodstock shad
35
-------
Juvenile Alosid Monitoring: One important addition to the sampling protocol was the
establishment of a coding system for one-half-mile transects on the James. Sites are randomly
picked, and the code identifies the river, river mile, gear and location. Data collected now will
be very important when natural spawning information is collected above Bosher Dam in the
future.
Nighttime ichthyoplankton samples were taken on the James River above Bosher Dam by
pushing a 500// mesh net in front of a jon boat. Small (30-40 mm) juvenile American shad
were collected with the ichthyoplankton net in June and July of 1997 and 1998.
Juvenile American shad were collected above and below Bosher Dam on the James River
from July through October of 1997 using pushnet and electrofishing sampling techniques.
This documented the initial success for the 1997 shad stocking program. All of the shad
otoliths examined from fish collected above Bosher Dam displayed the oxytetracycline (OTC)
mark received in the hatchery prior to stocking Approximately 80 percent of the American
shad juveniles collected below Bosher Dam were also of hatchery origin. OTC marking is a
valuable tool for evaluating the overall contributions of wild and hatchery fish to the system,
and will be especially valuable after the fishway is passing fish above Bosher Dam.
In 1998 juvenile American shad were far more scarce above Bosher Dam than in 1997. Only
six individuals were collected above the dam from May through November. The June
ichthyoplankton sampling resulted in only one individual, and the pushnet sampling also
resulted in only one individual in November. In July, one individual was collecting by boat
electrofishing and in November three more individuals were collected. The visual location and
prepositioned shocking technique that was successful in 1997 was unsuccessful in 1998 after
several attempts.
Juvenile blueback herring were collected above Bosher Dam with the pushnet in August 1997
and from July through December below the dam (tidal areas) in both 1997 and 1998. Finding
herring juveniles above Bosher Dam provides evidence that at least a portion of the stocked
adults were able to spawn successfully in 1997, and that the eggs hatched and the fry survived
to the juvenile phase. This adds to the significance of finding American shad juveniles above
the dam it indicates that the habitat is conducive to natural alosid spawning and recruitment
to the juvenile life stage.
Rappahannock River Basin Impediment Survey: VCU completed Year 2 and Year 3 of this
four-year study, and the contract continues with VDGIF to complete Year 4 in 1999. CBP
funds are being used to conduct a comprehensive survey of impediments on Rappahannock
River tributaries. Biological sampling in the second year focused on boat electrofishing in
larger, non-wadeable streams The 1996-97 sampling collected a total of 67 fish species,
representing 21 families in the study area. This included all four Alosa species. Years 2 and 3
also included further habitat data collection, and several statistical analyses were initiated that
describe habitat relationships of the target alosids. This may lead to a quantitative alosid
habitat model that could be a useful tool for setting habitat restoration goals. The entire basin
will be surveyed over the four-year period, and these surveys will provide information
necessary for setting fish passage priorities in the basin
36
-------
D. Trap, Transport and Stocking
Herring Trap and Transport: The Fish Passage Coordinator and other Fish Division staff, in
cooperation with USFWS, conducted a trap and transport project for blueback herring in late
April and early May 1997. A total of 5,092 prespawned blueback herring were collected by
electrofishing below Walker's Dam on the Chickahominy River and transported in circular
tanks to several stocking sites. These included 3,576 to Columbia on the James (45 miles
above Bosher Dam), 956 in Byrd Creek (a tributary above Bosher) and 560 in Harrison Lake
(on Herring Creek-a tributary of the lower James). There is a Denil fishway at Harrison Lake
Dam.
A new 950-gallon circular tank was delivered to the VDGIF in June of 1997 and was outfitted
for use in 1998. Blueback herring trap and transport was conducted from April 13 through
April 30, 1998. A total of 5,649 prespawned blueback herring were transported from the
Chickahominy River at Walker's Dam to the James River and several James River tributaries.
USFWS personnel helped haul approximately 1,000 of those fish for the VDGIF to Maiden's
Landing. The electrofishing catch per unit effort (CPUE) varied greatly at the collection site,
ranging from 221 fish/hr up to 2,662 fish/hr. Average herring CPUE in 1998 was only 842/hr,
which is indicative of a weak spawning run, considering a rough yearly average of about 2000
fish/hr. Fish were dense enough at the dam to allow for rapid collection on only two of 12
collection days. Transport mortality was greatly reduced with the use of the new VDGIF tank
compared to previous years. Resulting herring juveniles should imprint on the upstream
habitat, and those that successfully recruit to the adult stock should return to the James River
in three to five years to spawn.
American Shad Restoration: In 1997 VDGIF biologists, assisted by 11 Virginia watermen
(funded by VMRC), captured 1,444 brood shad on the Pamunkey River. Approximately 15.3
million eggs were taken from the brood fish and sent to VDGIF's King and Queen State Fish
Cultural Station and USFWS's Harrison Lake National Fish Hatchery. The James River was
stocked with 5.9 million fry, and the Pamunkey River was stocked with 1.3 million fry.
Samples taken from more than 300 adult fish during broodstock collection are being analyzed
by the VDGIF to locate any fish that carry an OTC mark received in the hatchery. Each river
has its own unique mark sequence. Three male American shad collected below Bosher Dam
in spring 1997 by VCU carried the James River OTC mark. These fish were three years old
and would have been stocked as fry in 1994. This is a milestone for the Virginia stocking
program.
In 1998, again working with VMRC-funded watermen, the VDGIF collected and fertilized a
total of 26.3 million American shad eggs from the Pamunkey River during the spring
spawning run. A total of 14 million fry were produced and stocked from April 1 to May 7.
The James River received 10 million of these fry, while the Pamunkey received 4 million.
Of the brood fish collected on the Pamunkey River in 1998, and examined for OTC tags, five
proved to be of hatchery origin. The majority of the tagged fish were stocked in 1994,
including one fish that carried a 20- and 30-day tag, which had been used on 151,000 shad fry
stocked by the Harrison Lake National Fish Hatchery in 1994. Hatchery-marked shad made
up less than 1 percent of the brood fish sampled from the Pamunkey.
On the James River, below Bosher Dam, VCU biologists collected 18 adult shad. OTC tag
37
-------
analysis of these fish proved that 15 (83 percent) were of hatchery origin. Two of the fish
carried a three-day tagging sequence, which had been used on 6,800 shad fry that were
stocked in 1992-the first shad stocked in the state for this project. The remaining hatchery
fish were returning adults from stockings in 1994 and 1995.
II. Fish Passage Support Activities
A. Public Relations and Education: The Fish Passage Coordinator participated in the
following activities in 1997 and 1998:
• The Science Museum of Virginia sample gear display and Bosher Dam fish passage
plan display on January 11, 1997.
• Fish passage presentation to "90 + 9" men's breakfast club in Richmond on January
21, 1997.
• Bosher Dam and Ruffms Pond Dam poster presentation at the annual meeting of the
AFS Tidewater Chapter (January 22-24, 1997).
• Fish passage presentation at the midyear meeting of the Southern Division of the AFS
in San Antonio, Texas (February 13-16, 1997).
• Presentation of the Bosher Dam fishway project to the VMRC Commercial Advisory
Board on February 18, 1997.
• Fish passage presentation at the 43rd Tri-State Fisheries Conference in Lexington,
Virginia (March 4-6, 1997).
• Presentation of the Bosher Dam fishway project to the VMRC Recreational Advisory
Board on March 10, 1997.
• Fish passage presentation for the Urban/Environmental Class at VCU on March 20,
1997.
• Fish passage display and alosid electrofishing demonstration on the Rappahannock
River at the First Annual Shad Festival at Old Mill Park on April 19, 1997. The
Friends of the Rappahannock and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation sponsored this
event.
• The Friends of the Rappahannock and the VDGIF sponsored a "bucket brigade" on
May 9, 1997 when approximately 200 "symbolic" herring were moved from just below
Embrey Dam to the head pond during a VDGIF electrofishing survey.
• Fish passage presentation to the Sandston Rotary Club on May 12, 1997.
• Bosher Dam fishway ground-breaking ceremony on July 22, 1997.
• Site visit at Bosher Dam by the Richmond chapter of the ASCE on October 14, 1997.
• Three "Ecology Day" classes conducted on January 22, 1998 at Crestwood
Elementary School.
• Virginia Fish Passage Project update at the Roanoke Rapids Fish Passage Workshop
on February 11, 1998.
• Fish passage display and alosid electrofishing demonstration on the Rappahannock
River at the Second Annual Shad Festival at Old Mill Park on April 25, 1998. The
Friends of the Rappahannock and the CBF sponsored this event.
• Fish passage and fish identification presentation to James River Rafting Company
recruits on May 9, 1998.
• Outdoor writers float on the Rappahannock River on September 11, 1998.
• Bosher Fishway tour to regional conservation agencies group on September 21, 1998.
• Fish Passage Exhibit at the State Fair of Virginia from September 23 to October 4,
38
-------
1998. Approximately 10,000 visitors to the VDGIF pavilion.
• Participation as a panelist for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's "Bridging the River"
workshop in Warsaw on October 11, 1998. The Countryside Exchange program
focused on improvement and preservation of the Rappahannock River.
• Embrey Dam fish passage update to the Rappahannock River Basin Commission in
Tappahannock on October 28, 1998.
B. Future Public Relations and Education
• Participate in the Shad Festival on the Rappahannock River in Fredericksburg in April
1999.
• Participate in Bosher Dam fishway dedication in April 1999
• Bosher Dam fishway tours for James River Month in June 1999.
• Upon request and as opportunities arise, the anadromous fish restoration efforts will
be presented to the public to educate and gain support.
III. Future Activities
A. Plans for 1999
• Obtain a fishway design and construction cost estimate for the Abutment Dam on the
Appomattox River.
• Monitor the efficiency of the Bosher fishway for passing target fish species.
• Work closely with Greenwood Ironworks on the first full season of operation and
monitoring of a Denil fishway on Harvell Dam on the Appomattox River.
• Continue efforts toward achieving fish passage at Embrey Dam on the Rappahannock
River. Removal is currently the preferred option
• Conduct trap and transport of blueback herring to rebuild James River run up to and
upstream of Bosher Dam.
• Monitor adult alosids in the spring and juveniles in the summer and fall
• Set future goals for passage in Virginia
B. Meeting the Chesapeake Bay Program's Five- and 10-Year Goals (1998 and 2003)
Virginia's five-year goal is 308 miles. William's Island Dam Notch was completed in
November of 1993 and reopened 2.6 miles of the James River up to Bosher Dam. Also in
1993, a fish lift was installed on Brassfield Dam (Appomattox River), but the actual hopper is
not yet in place. This lift will be completed when passage is provided at the downstream
abutment dam, and together passage at all three Appomattox River dams will reopen an
additional 127.1 miles. In 1995 a Denil fishway on Chandler's Mill Dam (Rappahannock
drainage) reopened 7.7 miles of the two tributaries feeding Chandler's Pond. The Bosher
fishway was substantially completed in 1998, which reopened 137.6 miles. The Ashland Mill
Dam (S. Anna River) project was moved to the 10-year goal (nine miles). Through 1998 a
total of 190.6 accessible miles were reopened in Virginia. Approximately 168 additional miles
of major James River tributaries were also made accessible to migratory fishes with the
opening of Bosher Dam.
Virginia's 10-year goal is 415.5 miles, which includes 107.5 miles in addition to the five-year
39
-------
goal. Besides completing projects listed above, the 10-year goal will be achieved by providing
passage at Embrey Dam on the Rappahannock (70.6 miles) and the Ashland Mill Dam and
Ashland Water Supply Dam on the South Anna River (a total of 37 miles).
40
-------
£
S
-0
-. <•
Csv, •. ^
• *^"**^^ s \f
i'wftj J *" %
^/^V***
«SJy. ,* >>'•
v
^ * ^^
Sr ••
E
. S ' s
3b •• % %
Wv
fefe v
;i '
,^
%%
*g ^1 j"u
.^5 •$* ^A
*S 55. «••
* fl S-*B
jjj 0 4^
t
f"*
^
S*
52
59
?*W
""' " % -
| |
K M '•
•B
ll:
^\
^
"3
c
Construction substa
complete (1998)
if
^^
•c _
O . C3
o
-> j c
ed O
C/2 ^ 'Q
^ ed 3
1 |J
"2 o §
[J , ^j v^x
E
C/3
c.
'c3 O D
C •' — i • ~-
_ c cd
^O CH •*"*
r~- oo j->
f*^ ^o * ^-
^-^ »— • ^_,
_o
oo
cd
O
•^
C/5
1
1— »
cd
Q
'_
J3 fe
on :r
0 .^
m 2
_l
^^
. — 1
"c5
"c
Construction substa
complete (1998)
!i
0- tu
^^~
IT)
, ,
'S
Q
>
Harvell Dam,
Appomattox Ri
fN
Construction 90%
complete
u
^
^.
'^
0
£ >,
«j *i
II
a. 3
< <
-a
OJ
'S
•o
a.
3
_ "aT
O 3
Design Completed
construction postpo
due to lack of fundi:
"3
<5
-o
1)
PH
00
,__
'5
(U
Q
U-
£ W * "^
Ruffins Pond D
Massaponax Cr
Rappahannock
u
o
G
Sn
.2
C
c
O T3
0 0)
W p*
0 o
U "
D a.
"T3
o
r-
-a
"S u
*> D
o rs
E r-
* ^
OH
ON
_«
'S
Q
1
Q u
2 2 §
"O KS °.TJ
C C K
— 5 -^
"5 . o
Planned
T3
.s
g
QJ
ts
T3
C
D
oo
(N
•o
c
'£
u*
U
4— »
-a
c
D
"cL
3
D uT
^2 U
1 2|
*"O c^ "-^3
c d PM
2 £ •< t-
-------
e
o
U
Ml
ce
PN
.S
'5
'gf>
V
2
£7/5>
•. * 0 A% \ ••
f^L*
^f '.T* "* ""
* ., / s 4ft1 **
&S *s\ 3Jjjf .-
v*-^* % *$£** .•
frvX^w3lftw- •."•
•jf-isto* *
15
3ST _. i!
fife *'' *
f.' - '.
t
%•* ^
•J8J. % ^
: fit *> ^ ;
> A
' \
-'^[ ' ""
^'^5 *5s*
"iw'ffi w
.. flt s» S
. S^SS 't*5I
1 ^^ ^Tr
' *.
\ %
y*1^
r*
... J^ *
v^'
*R
^^
Mt **
vv...v. ^
»* *' '
+^ \
rli:'.
-0
D
c
c
c^
CM
•a
0)
c
'£
4J
QJ
-o
C
^
in
T3
C
'e
4J
•4-^
-o
c
D
i_c
Unnamed Dam,
Mill Creek,
Rappahannock Riv
•o
CU
c
c
C3
C-
T3
0)
C
'S
°2
II
« ^
T3
(U
C
C
cd
OH
T3
0)
C
'|
0>
D
•o
C
D
-------
Figure 4. Fish Passage Progress in Virginia
Virginia's Progress Toward 2003
Fish Passage Goals
224.9
190.6
0
Total Miles Opened = 190.6 miles
2003 Goal = 415.5 miles
• Miles Opened
And Accessible
Through 1998
D Miles Opened
but Not Yet
Accessible
Through 1998
El Additional Miles
To Be Opened
Between 1999
and 2003
43
-------
Map 4: Fishway Progress in Virginia
Fishway completed or in progress 1997-98
Fishway completed before 1997
20
20 Miles
44
-------
FEDERAL AGENCIES
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA)
In fiscal year 1997 the US EPA allocated a total of $651,000, and in 1998 a total of $576,400, for
fish passage activities in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. These activities included the
coordination offish passage efforts, stream blockage surveys, design and construction offish
passage facilities and support for shad hatchery projects. The surveys assess the potential for
anadromous fish species spawning habitat.
Two Inter-Agency Agreements (lAGs) were signed between the US EPA and the US FWS to
fund the monitoring and stocking of American shad at Little Falls Dam on the Potomac River and
US FWS engineering expertise for fish passage design in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Upon
completion, the fish passage construction activities are anticipated to open hundreds of additional
river miles to anadromous fish migrations.
U.S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA/NMFS)
The National Marine Fisheries Service's Northeast Region administers the CBP's Fish Passage
grants, through an TAG with the US EPA's CBPO.
During fiscal year 1993 the CBPO, working in cooperation with the NMFS, entered into their first
IAG to fund strategies to coordinate fish passage efforts, stream blockage surveys and design and
construction offish passage facilities in the Chesapeake Bay. The IAG entitled, Fisheries and
Habitat Restoration in the Chesapeake Bay was renewed in fiscal years 1997 and 1998, providing
$576,000 and $278,000, respectively, for fish passage activities in the Chesapeake Bay
Watershed. Under the provision of each IAG, grant applications were received from the
Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the
Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. Project work focused on restoration activities
within the Susquehanna, Choptank, Patapsco, Patuxent, James and Rappahannock River
watersheds.
NO AA CBPO staff continued to attend workgroup meetings, provide technical input to
workgroup goals and progress, and attempt to link NOAA Restoration Center funding
opportunities with workgroup priority projects, where possible.
NMFS Habitat and Fisheries Engineering staff continued to provide review and comments on the
actual completion of the proposed Denil fishway for Harvell Dam, located on the Appomattox
River near Petersburg, Virginia. Staff continue to be involved in the modifications to the design
and operation offish lifts at Holtwood and Safe Harbor dams, located on the Susquehanna River
45
-------
in Pennsylvania, and of the vertical slot fishway proposed for the York Haven Dam. Staff has
recommended and given strong support for providing fish passage and/or dam removal in Rock
Creek and the Anacostia watershed as part of the mitigation package for SAV impacts for the
proposed Woodrow Wilson Bridge replacement.
NMFS also continues to contribute to American shad restoration efforts for the Susquehanna
River as a technical and policy member of the Susquehanna Anadromous Fish Restoration
Cooperative (SRAFRC). NMFS reviews and provides input to activities included in SRAFRC's
annual workplan.
U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)
Fish Passage and Stocking Activities
The US FWS Engineering Field Office at Newton Corner, MA provided considerable support
throughout 1997-98 to state fish passage coordinators who were participating in numerous site
inspections and meetings. Service engineers assisted in fishway designs for the York Haven
hydroelectric project and prepared conceptual plans for fish passage at Johnson's Pond Dam
(Wicomico River, MD); Lake Allen Dam (Midway Branch, MD); Hershey Food Corporation
Dam (Swatara Creek, PA); Lancaster Water Supply Dam (Conestoga River, PA); Carson Long
Dam (Sherman's Creek, PA); Lock Haven Dam (W. Branch Susquehanna, PA); and Abutment
Dam (Appomattox River, VA). Engineering assistance also was provided for reviewing various
percent-complete fish passage design plans for Deer Creek, Johnson's Pond, Lake Bonnie,
Midway Branch and Sawmill Creek (all in Maryland) and for review and comment on the Corps
of Engineers's final design report for construction of a labyrinth weir for fish passage at Little
Falls Dam on the Potomac River, MD.
The Little Falls Fishway Task Group, chaired by USFWS, met in June 1997 and April 1998 and
provided technical assistance to the Corps of Engineers on their final designs for the Little Falls
fishway. Passage at Little Falls Dam is planned for 1999 and will open 10 miles of anadromous
fish spawning habitat up to Great Falls, the historic natural limit offish migrations. The unusual
fishway design at Little Falls involves a 24-foot-wide notch with three labyrinth weirs located 75
feet from the Virginia side of the dam. The weirs act as flow dissipators to reduce velocity and
promote passage for a variety of migratory species. The S. O. Conte Anadromous Fish Research
Center (USGS) was responsible for the conceptual fishway design, and the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers is responsible for the final engineering design.
The USFWS Susquehanna River Coordinator continued to coordinate the multi-agency shad
restoration program on the Susquehanna River. The program involves large-scale egg collection,
larval culture and marking and stocking of the Susquehanna mainstem and tributaries. Other
components include the trap and transfer of adult shad and herring from the Conowingo West fish
lift, fish passage operations and fish counts at Conowingo East lift, Holtwood and Safe Harbor
dams, planning and construction of a new fishway at York Haven Dam, summer-fall juvenile shad
46
-------
collections and otolith analysis. In 1998 the USFWS Northeast Fishery Center in Lamar, PA
initiated hormone-induced tank spawning of American shad using brood fish from Conowingo
Dam. Over three million eggs were produced, with most being supplied to PFBC's Van Dyke
hatchery.
The Harrison Lake National Fish Hatchery and Virginia Fisheries Coordinator Office cooperated
with the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin and the Little Falls Task Group to
produce, mark and stock more than three million American shad fry in the Potomac River above
Little Falls in 1997-98. The Harrison Lake NFH and Virginia Fisheries Coordinator Office also
cooperated with VDGJJF and VMRC to produce, mark and stock several million American shad
fry in support of the James River restoration project. Assessment of the VDGIF and USFWS
shad fry stockings indicated that all juveniles above Bosher's Dam were hatchery produced, as
were about 80 percent of those downstream of Bosher's Dam. Tetracycline-marked adults were
captured on the spawning grounds below Bosher's dam by VDGIF and VCU.
Service personnel from the Virginia Fisheries Coordinator Office and Harrison Lake worked
cooperatively with VDGIF to trap-and-transfer approximately 1,500 prespawned blueback herring
for ^introduction into the upper watershed of Herring Creek, above the Service's Harrison Lake
Dam in the James River watershed. A total of about 5,000 prespawned blueback herring also
were moved above Bosher's Dam each year in 1997-98.
The Service's Fish Health Unit from Lamar, PA conducted routine disease analysis for wild
American shad samples from the Potomac and Susquehanna rivers. Screening was negative for
Vibrio spp., Oncorhynchus masou virus, Aeromonas salmonicida, enteric redmouth bacterium,
viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus, infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus and infectious
pancreatic necrosis virus.
Outreach and Education
The Susquehanna River Coordinator and fish passage engineer Dick Quinn attended the annual
meeting of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) in Washington D.C. in November
1997 and presented information on the Chesapeake Bay fish passage program.
At a dedication ceremony for new fish elevators at Safe Harbor and Holtwood dams on the
Susquehanna River in May 1997, the USFWS Regional Director presented the Director's
Corporate Wildlife Stewardship Award to PP&L and Safe Harbor Water Power Corporation.
Numerous Bay Program dignitaries attended
Little Falls Fishway Web Page
A new web page (http://www.chesapeakebay.net/bayprogram/bay_eco/lfpg.htm) was created in
late 1997 on the CBP's web server, written by Peter Bergstrom (USFWS) with graphics assembly
and programming by CRC fellow Karen Hester.
One or more wayside signs that will explain the project and its benefits to Potomac fisheries are
47
-------
planned for installation along the towpath, where there is a view of the Little Falls Dam. In 1997
and 1998 local grade school students raised some of the shad fry released back to the Potomac
River through the "Schools in Schools" program, which is conducted in cooperation with USFWS
and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
U.S. Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division
American eels were historically ubiquitous and ecologically important in most coastal waters of
the eastern seaboard, including the Chesapeake Bay, ranging as far inland as they could ascend
past natural and man-made obstructions. Passage facilities for upstream and downstream migrant
eels are lacking at hundreds of hydroelectric and other dams along rivers and tributaries of the
Atlantic coast, reducing recruitment of eels into upstream habitats. Recent negotiations for
relicensing hydroelectric dams have included eels as a species to be passed, yet the technologies
required for eel passage have not been tested or implemented in the U.S.
Studies on natural behaviors of migrant eels, response to attraction flows and turbine intakes, run
characteristics (size, sex ratio and age class structure) and migration timing are required for the
development of improved eel passage structures Research on downstream migrant behavior,
guidance and bypass technologies is still in a formative stage. Application of effective eel passage
is a key point for ongoing settlement negotiations involving presently appealed and pending
licenses for a number of hydroelectric dams that currently possess no upstream or downstream
eel passage structures. In cooperation with the Conte Anadromous Fish Research Center (USGS-
BRD), the US FWS initiated pilot eel passage and migration studies in the laboratory and at
several hydroelectric dam sites in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
Catadromous eels have been extirpated from the upper portions of the James and Roanoke River
drainages in Virginia due to a series of dams. Eel abundance and size in these rivers are strongly
related to their distance inland Eels currently are present in the Shenandoah River mainstem
(Potomac drainage), but their distribution and abundance has not been quantified, and the
cumulative impacts of dams on eel movements and the upstream migrant eel population within the
watershed is unknown. A three-year study has been implemented between USGS, USFWS and
Virginia Polytechnic University to address these questions at three dams within the Shenandoah
River mainstem. Results to date have indicated low eel abundance within the watershed, with
high site fidelity of older eels. Few juvenile eels have been captured at the dams.
These and future studies by USGS-BRD are critical for providing sound biological data; design
criteria and evaluation of passage structures, and a basis for future eel mitigation efforts and
enhancement of coastal freshwater and inland populations on a coastwide scale.
48
-------
BAYWIDE SUMMARY OF PROGRESS
When the CBP's Executive Council signed Directive 93-4 on December 27, 1993, they charged
the Bay's jurisdictions with opening 1,356.75 miles of migratory fish spawning habitat along the
major tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay by 2003. This 10-year goal includes 143.1 miles opened
prior to signing the directive. An interim goal of 582.05 miles was set for the year 1998, which
does not include the pre-directive miles This directive has focused the goals and activities for the
Fish Passage Workgroup for the past five years.
The workgroup has worked steadily to meet these goals. By end of 1998 a total of 645 miles of
stream habitat had been reopened, including 523.5 miles currently available to anadromous fish
(Table 5) and 121.5 miles of potential anadromous habitat which is not yet accessible due to
downstream blockages. In 1997 and 1998 a total of 361.3 miles were opened. Although
anadromous fish mileage results through 1998 were short of the five-year goal amount, projects
expected to be completed in 1999 will greatly exceed that target and set the stage for surpassing
the 10-year goal.
The following table and figures illustrate the Baywide success of the fish passage program in
terms of miles opened. This includes all parameters of the agreement and the miles opened before
the agreement.
Table 5
Baywide Fish Passage Progress Through 1998
District of Columbia
0
32
32.6
Maryland
97.1
175.3
21005
388.65
Pennsylvania
505
32
520
Virginia
37
153 6
308
415.50
Total
143.1
380.4
582.05
1356.75
It is important to note that meeting the directive's fish passage goals will not necessarily result in
increased abundance of anadromous stocks Other essential efforts include control of harvest,
habitat protection, trap and transport, stocking, proper design of facilities and the proper
management of fishways. These activities have been and will continue to be expanded throughout
the watershed by the Fish Passage Workgroup
49
-------
Figure 5. Fish Passage Progress Baywide
Baywide Progress Towards Reaching the
Executive Council Goal of 1356.75 Miles Opened
by 2003
711.751
523.5
121.5
• Miles Opened
And Accessibl
Through 1998
D Miles Opened
but Not Yet
Accessible
Through 1998
H Additional Miles
To Be Opened
Between 1999
and 2003
Figure 6. Jurisdictional Fish Passage Progress
Jurisdiction Progress Toward
Ten-Year Goal
j 600
I
I
500
400
300
200
100
0
• Miles To Be
Opened By 2003
n Progress Thro ugh
1998
VA
50
-------
APPENDIX A
Fish Passage Projects Completed between 1989 and 1998
State/District
District of
Columbia
Maryland
Project
Abandoned Weir #1 (Sewer
Line), Rock Creek, Potomac
River
Metro Dam, Rock Creek,
Potomac River
Ford #3, Rock Creek, Potomac
River
Cypress Branch Dam, Cypress
Branch, Chester River
Waugh Chapel Road, Towers
Branch, Little Patuxent River
USGS Gage, St. Leonard Creek,
Patuxent River
Pipeline crossing, Hunting
Creek, Patuxent River
Small dam, Cocktown Creek,
Patuxent River
USGS Gage, Western Branch,
Patuxent River
USGS Gage, Mattawoman
Creek, Potomac River
Baptist Church Rd. Culvert,
Hancock Run, Potomac River
Fish Passage Type
Removal
Removal
Removal
Breach
Replacement &
fish way
Weir collapse &
removal
Weir collapse &
removal
Structure collapse
Weir collapse &
removal
Weir collapse &
removal
Replacement
Year
1995
1995
1991
1998
1998
1998
1998
1998
1998
1998
1998
51
-------
Route 232 culvert, Gilbert Run,
Wicomico River
Boy Scout Dam, Octoraro
Creek, Susquehanna River
Simkins Dam, Patapsco River
Rt 6 Culvert, Gilbert Run
Wicomico River
Rt 12 Culvert/USGS Weir,
Nassawango Cr. Pocomoke
River
Culvert, Rt. 495 East, Paint
Branch, Anacostia River
Culvert, Rt. 495 West, Paint
Branch, Anacostia River
Rt. 40 Culvert, Whitemarsh Run,
Bird River
Dam #1, Northeast Branch.
Anacostia River
Van Bibber Dam, Winter's Run,
Bush River
Weir Morgan Creek, Chester
River
Weir, Beaverdam Creek,
Choptank River -
Dam, Tuckahoe Creek,
Choptank River
Elkton Dam, Big Elk Creek, Elk
River
Railroad Bridge, Little Elk
Creek, Elk River
Fort Meade Dam, Little Patuxent
River
Collapse & debris
removal
Collapse & removal
Denil
Pool and Weir
Notch
Pool and Weir
Alaskan Steeppass
Alaskan Steeppass
Notch
Denil
Notch
Notch
Denil
Denil
Removal
Denil
1998
1998
1997
1997
1997
1995
1995
1994
1990
1990
1989
1989
1993
1993
1992
1991
52
-------
Railroad Trestle, Dorsey Run,
Little Patuxent
Culvert, Dorsey Run, Little
Patuxent River
Sewer Line, Little Patuxent
River
Lake Waterford Dam, Lake
Waterford, Magothy River
North East Dam, North East
River
Bloede Dam, Patapsco River
Daniels Dam, Patapsco River
Dam, Deep Run, Patapsco River
Dam, Stony Run, Patapsco River
Trail Culvert, Sawmill Creek
Patapsco River
Union Dam, Patapsco River
Rt. 6 Culvert, Hoghole Run,
Port Tobacco River
Rt. 214 Dam, Western Branch,
Patuxent River
Bacon Ridge Branch Weir,
South River
Culvert, North River, South
River
Conowingo Dam, Susquehanna
River
MD Rt. 648, Cattail Creek,
Magothy River
Evergreen Road Culvert,
Patuxent River
Removal
Replacement
Replacement
Pool and Weir
Breach
Denil
Denil
Removal
Removal
Pool and Weir
Breach
Alaskan Steeppass
Removal
Removal
Replacement
Fishlift (2)
Alaskan Steeppass
Replacement
1994
1994
1990
1993
1992
1993
1997
1989
1990
1994
1997
1994
1994
1991
1990
1991
1995
1995
53
-------
Pennsylvania
Dam, Horsepen Branch,
Patuxent River
MD Rt. 234, Budd's Creek
(Western Shore)
Rt. 208 (38th St.) Dam,
Northwest Branch, Anacostia
River
Dam #1, Paint Branch,
Anacostia River
Rt. 1 Culvert, Rhode Island
Ave., Northwest Branch,
Anacostia River
Unicorn Dam, Unicorn Branch,
Chester River
Simkins Dam, Patapsco River
Rt. 1 2 Culvert, USGS Weir,
Nassawango Creek, Pocomoke
River
Sewer Crossing, Northeast
Branch, Anacostia Branch
Culvert, Dogwood Run, Elk
River
Rt. 6 Culvert, Gilbert Creek,
Wicomico River, Western Shore
Holtwood Dam,
Susquehanna River
Safe Harbor Dam,
Susquehanna River
Rock Hill Dam,
Conestoga River
Maple Grove Dam,
L. Conestoga River
Removal
Alaskan
Steeppass
Notch
Breach
Pool and Weir
Alaskan Steeppass
Denil
Notch
Breach
Pool & Weir
Pool & Weir
Lift
Lift
Breach & remove
Breach & remove
1995
1995
1995
1995
1995
1996
1997
1997
1995
1990
1997
1997
1997
1997
1997
54
-------
Virginia
Castle Fin Dam,
Muddy Creek
Unnamed Dam, Fishing
Creek, Clinton Co.
American Paper Products Co
Dam, Conestoga River
East Petersburg Authority Dam,
Little Conestoga River
Yorkana Dam, tributary to
Codorus
Yorktown Paper Co. Dam,
tributary to Codorus Creek
Millport Conservancy Dam,
Lititz Run
Unnamed dam (road crossing),
Lititz Run
Unnamed dam, Kishacoquillas
Creek
Unnamed dam, Laurel Run
Milesburg Power
Generating Station,
Spring Creek, Centre Co
Rose Hill Intake Dam, Kettle
Creek
Williamsburg Station Dam,
Frankstown Branch, Juniata
River
Huntingdon Water Supply,
Standing Stone Creek, Juniata
River
Bosher Dam, James River
Harvell Dam, Appomattox River
Breach & remove
Breach & remove
Breach & remove
Breach & remove
Breach & remove
Breach & remove
Breach & remove
Breach & remove
Breach & remove
Breach & remove
Breach & remove
Vertical slot
Breach and
Removal
Denil
Vertical Slot
Denil
1997
1997
1998
1998
1997
1997
1998
1998
1998
1998
1998
1998
1996
1996
1998
1998
55
-------
Battersea Dam, Appomattox
River, James River
Walkers Dam, Chickahominy
River; James River
Harrison Lake Dam, Herring
Creek; James River
Manchester Dam, James River
Browns Island Dam, James River
Chandler's Mill Dam,
Rappahannock River
Williams Island Dam, James
River
Natural Breach
Denil (2)
Denil
Breach
Breach
Denil
Notch
1989
1989
1989
1989
1995
1993
56
-------
APPENDIX B
Fish Passage Workgroup Members
Richard St. Pierre
Susquehanna River Coordinator
US Fish and Wildlife Service
1721 N. Front Street Suite 105
Harrisburg, PA 17102
717-238-6425
Members:
Carin Bisland
Al Blott
Scott Carney
Mike Fritz
William Goldsborough
Rick Hoopes
Robert Kelsey
Larry Leasner
John Nichols
Susan Olsen
Richard Quinn
Jon Siemien
Albert Spells
Dave Sutherland
Rich Takacs
Alan Weaver
Howard Weinberg
Environmental Protection Agency - Chesapeake Bay Program
National Marine Fisheries Service
Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission
Environmental Protection Agency - Chesapeake Bay Program
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission
U.S Fish and Wildlife Service
Maryland Department of Natural Resources
National Marine Fisheries Service
National Marine Fisheries Service
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
District of Columbia Fisheries Branch
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
National Ocean and Atmosphere Administration
Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries
Chesapeake Bay Program/ University of Maryland Eastern Shore
57
-------
-------
-------