Letort Soap Suds--10/7/2013 Cumberland County

Night_Stalker

Night_Stalker

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Another storm fails to improve the Conodoguinet water level. In my quick rounds after work tonight, I hoped to see big changes to the water levels but it has been months of very low conditions.

I was also quite disturbed to see the soap suds coming out of the mouth of the Letort. I had to assume that the truck wash stations about a mile up from the confluence were to blame. Has anybody else seen this? Heavy rains wash lots of road dirt and trash into the Conodo. This was visible from the rapids at Route 11 all the way out of the mouth. Above Route 11, the water was very stained with about a foot of clarity depth.

Being that this is the "Letort"... is this amount of what I assume is pollution normal?
 

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I was at LeTort last week and did not see this, however this should deffinently have a further investigation in to the cause if it is true.
 
I fished that same stretch (Rt. 11 to mouth) yesterday from about 2:30 - 5:30, didn't see any soap suds. Are you sure it just wasn't natural bubbles on the surface from the high volume of aerated water coming down the falls at the mouth? Water was definitely high and off color on Letort but the Connie was still low and clear.
 
The Conodoguinet has indeed been mighty low as TimB and others have pointed out on this forum recently. In the last 24 hours, levels have ticked upward but not as much as I'd hoped.

NS,
With respect to lower Letort, it always get a flush of litter from town and the Mully Grub after a storm and water conditions are often cloudy. If you get a chance, check it out today and see if the problem persists. Swattie may be right about aerated surface (that's what it looks like to me) but it wouldn't hurt to notify the local Area Fisheries Manager and DEP and email them the photos or a link to this discussion.

You can contact DEP at 717 705 4700

Now, if you return and see dead fish and it's obviously critical, call their hotline at 1 877 333 1904. The PFBC has a fish kill hotline too at 1 855 347-4545 as well.
 
Yes after a storm the Letort gets a shot of limestone dust from the quarry run off. It makes the water very cloudy (unfishable) and when agitated can produce "suds". Afterall limestone raises the PH. And sudsy cleaners are high in ph.
 
Report it to DEP.
 
Swattie87, I saw the two vehicles parked near meter but did not see you. The foam/suds are not normal. You are correct that the higher volume did trigger the increase...but that would disapate. This did not look natural to me. When the is a strong storm the Letort becomes gray and filled with junk. What was not normal was the soap suds being seen in such volume from the route 11 bridge out threw the mouth. I fished above the route 11 and witnessed just very cloudy water. I will be able to follow threw at a later time...back to work. BTW...I posted a fish pic from last evening in the fish photo section.
 
Yeah, that was my father in law and I. Nice fish...we didn't run into any of those, not that we weren't trying!
 
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