JimKennedy
Active member
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2016
- Messages
- 273
A task force established by the Maryland General Assembly to review management of the Baltimore metropolitan water supply system has begun regular hearings to discuss potential changes to how the water and sewer system is managed.
Of particular interest to those of us who fish for trout is that the water system includes Prettyboy, Loch Raven and Liberty reservoirs. Each is an important fishery in its own right, but the Prettyboy – Loch Raven system, connected by about 11 and a half miles of Big Gunpowder Falls is special. This section of the Big Gunpowder, of course, is home to some of the best trout fishing in Maryland.
The Gunpowder wasn’t always the premier fishery it is today. Prior to 1986, flows between Prettyboy and Loch Raven were sporadic, and there was nothing to prevent the flow from Prettyboy from being wholly cut off. In 1986, Baltimore City, Maryland Trout Unlimited and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources reached an agreement that set a minimum flow of about 11.5 cubic feet per second from Prettyboy, and the water comes from the deeper, colder reaches of the reservoir. Though there have been years when the City’s releases have been less that ideal for trout and trout anglers, the minimum flow has been maintained, and the trout fishery has largely thrived between the two reservoirs.
While the minimum flow agreement is not necessarily in question as the water system task force undertakes its evaluation, neither is it something that task force members would necessarily be aware of. In 1986, it was anglers like us who made our voices heard to initiate a change that yielded a sportfishing gem. It is incumbent now on anglers like us to make sure our public servants are aware of how important this recreational resource is.
I am in the process of sending the following message to each member of the task force (a list of task force members also is included, as are email addresses for most). Please feel free to copy it in full and send it over your signature, or to compose your own comments about the Big Gunpowder trout fishery. But please, my fellow anglers, take a few minutes to make your voices heard. Too often we miss opportunities to prevent bad things from happening and are then stuck trying to fight to re-establish something good. While there is no immediate threat to the fishery, anytime management changes are proposed, the people who say and do nothing are the ones most likely to be adversely affected by those management changes. Let’s not wait for something to complain about. Let’s do what is necessary to protect what we’ve got.
Dear [task force member’s name here]:
As the Baltimore Water Governance Task Force engages in the vital work of evaluating management of the water and sewer system serving the Baltimore metro area, I ask you to please respect a 1986 Baltimore City agreement with Maryland Trout Unlimited and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
Under that agreement, a minimum flow at Prettyboy Dam was set for Big Gunpowder Falls. In the decades since the agreement was put in place, the stream has blossomed into one of the finest wild trout fishing locations in the mid-Atlantic region.
This natural resource provides not only recreational opportunities for people throughout the Baltimore area and beyond, but also is an important component of a burgeoning outdoor-focused economy.
The minimum Prettyboy release of a little more than 11 cubic feet per second (about 82 gallons per second) ensures there is enough water in the stream during hot months to provide a suitable environment for wild trout. The wild trout, in addition to being a popular sport fish, serve as a sort of canary in a coal mine for the drinking water supply, as trout require very clean water to survive.
In addition, the minimum release ensures Loch Raven Reservoir has a steady supply of cold water entering its shallow upper reaches. This helps hold in check algae blooms that thrive in warm, shallow water in the summertime. Such blooms can dramatically affect the taste of drinking water, even after processing.
I ask also that the Task Force give consideration to directing the Prettyboy minimum flows be more carefully managed. During some recent years, flows in excess of 200 to 300 cubic feet per second have been released for several days or weeks at a time, only to be cut back to the minimum for several more weeks. This cycle has repeated, resulting in a weakening of the fishing resource, and making other recreational activities on the stream – notably float tubing – less appealing. In addition, the sustained high flows have caused stream bank erosion. The resulting silt is carried downstream and deposited in Loch Raven Reservoir, diminishing that impoundment’s capacity. A sustained flow that exceeds the minimum but is more in keeping with the streambed’s natural capacity would be beneficial on many levels.
As a resident of Baltimore, I am keenly aware that recreational uses of the city’s watershed are a secondary consideration. Current demands on the water system, however, are such that the city has the opportunity to provide refreshing water to its water customers and first-rate recreational opportunities for those same people – provided current management practices are sustained and improved.
Thank you for taking on the very important task of reviewing the Baltimore water supply system and please keep my comments in mind as you proceed.
Jim Kennedy
Baltimore
TASK FORCE MEMBERS
Baltimore City Comptroller Bill Henry: bill.henry@baltimorecity.gov
Patrick Moran, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 3: pmoran@afscmemd.org
Kishia L. Powell, general manager and CEO of the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission: kishia.powell@wsscwater.com
Lauren Buckler, deputy director of the Baltimore County Department of Public Works & Transportation: lbuckler@baltimorecountymd.gov
Timothy Barr, managing director of water/wastewater at Maryland Environmental Service: tbarr@menv.com
Sen. Cory McCray of District 45, deputy majority whip: cory.mccray@senate.state.md.us
Del. Dana Stein of District 11B, vice chair of the Environment and Transportation Committee: dana.stein@house.state.md.us
Yosef Kebede, director of the Howard County Department of Public Works: publicworks@howardcountymd.gov
Lester Davis, vice president and chief of staff of CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield:
Jason Mitchell, former director of the Baltimore City Department of Public Works
Carla A. Reid, former general manager of WSSC Water
Robert M. Summers, former Maryland secretary of the environment
Jessica Medicus, environmental manager of Bay Associates Environmental Inc.
The last five task force members do not have readily accessible email addresses, however there is a general task force email address through which they can be contacted: WaterGovernance@baltimorecountymd.gov
Read more about the task force at:
https://www.baltimorecountymd.gov/boards-commissions/executive/water-governance-task-force
https://mayor.baltimorecity.gov/bc/boards/baltimore-regional-water-governance-task-force#members
Of particular interest to those of us who fish for trout is that the water system includes Prettyboy, Loch Raven and Liberty reservoirs. Each is an important fishery in its own right, but the Prettyboy – Loch Raven system, connected by about 11 and a half miles of Big Gunpowder Falls is special. This section of the Big Gunpowder, of course, is home to some of the best trout fishing in Maryland.
The Gunpowder wasn’t always the premier fishery it is today. Prior to 1986, flows between Prettyboy and Loch Raven were sporadic, and there was nothing to prevent the flow from Prettyboy from being wholly cut off. In 1986, Baltimore City, Maryland Trout Unlimited and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources reached an agreement that set a minimum flow of about 11.5 cubic feet per second from Prettyboy, and the water comes from the deeper, colder reaches of the reservoir. Though there have been years when the City’s releases have been less that ideal for trout and trout anglers, the minimum flow has been maintained, and the trout fishery has largely thrived between the two reservoirs.
While the minimum flow agreement is not necessarily in question as the water system task force undertakes its evaluation, neither is it something that task force members would necessarily be aware of. In 1986, it was anglers like us who made our voices heard to initiate a change that yielded a sportfishing gem. It is incumbent now on anglers like us to make sure our public servants are aware of how important this recreational resource is.
I am in the process of sending the following message to each member of the task force (a list of task force members also is included, as are email addresses for most). Please feel free to copy it in full and send it over your signature, or to compose your own comments about the Big Gunpowder trout fishery. But please, my fellow anglers, take a few minutes to make your voices heard. Too often we miss opportunities to prevent bad things from happening and are then stuck trying to fight to re-establish something good. While there is no immediate threat to the fishery, anytime management changes are proposed, the people who say and do nothing are the ones most likely to be adversely affected by those management changes. Let’s not wait for something to complain about. Let’s do what is necessary to protect what we’ve got.
Dear [task force member’s name here]:
As the Baltimore Water Governance Task Force engages in the vital work of evaluating management of the water and sewer system serving the Baltimore metro area, I ask you to please respect a 1986 Baltimore City agreement with Maryland Trout Unlimited and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
Under that agreement, a minimum flow at Prettyboy Dam was set for Big Gunpowder Falls. In the decades since the agreement was put in place, the stream has blossomed into one of the finest wild trout fishing locations in the mid-Atlantic region.
This natural resource provides not only recreational opportunities for people throughout the Baltimore area and beyond, but also is an important component of a burgeoning outdoor-focused economy.
The minimum Prettyboy release of a little more than 11 cubic feet per second (about 82 gallons per second) ensures there is enough water in the stream during hot months to provide a suitable environment for wild trout. The wild trout, in addition to being a popular sport fish, serve as a sort of canary in a coal mine for the drinking water supply, as trout require very clean water to survive.
In addition, the minimum release ensures Loch Raven Reservoir has a steady supply of cold water entering its shallow upper reaches. This helps hold in check algae blooms that thrive in warm, shallow water in the summertime. Such blooms can dramatically affect the taste of drinking water, even after processing.
I ask also that the Task Force give consideration to directing the Prettyboy minimum flows be more carefully managed. During some recent years, flows in excess of 200 to 300 cubic feet per second have been released for several days or weeks at a time, only to be cut back to the minimum for several more weeks. This cycle has repeated, resulting in a weakening of the fishing resource, and making other recreational activities on the stream – notably float tubing – less appealing. In addition, the sustained high flows have caused stream bank erosion. The resulting silt is carried downstream and deposited in Loch Raven Reservoir, diminishing that impoundment’s capacity. A sustained flow that exceeds the minimum but is more in keeping with the streambed’s natural capacity would be beneficial on many levels.
As a resident of Baltimore, I am keenly aware that recreational uses of the city’s watershed are a secondary consideration. Current demands on the water system, however, are such that the city has the opportunity to provide refreshing water to its water customers and first-rate recreational opportunities for those same people – provided current management practices are sustained and improved.
Thank you for taking on the very important task of reviewing the Baltimore water supply system and please keep my comments in mind as you proceed.
Jim Kennedy
Baltimore
TASK FORCE MEMBERS
Baltimore City Comptroller Bill Henry: bill.henry@baltimorecity.gov
Patrick Moran, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 3: pmoran@afscmemd.org
Kishia L. Powell, general manager and CEO of the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission: kishia.powell@wsscwater.com
Lauren Buckler, deputy director of the Baltimore County Department of Public Works & Transportation: lbuckler@baltimorecountymd.gov
Timothy Barr, managing director of water/wastewater at Maryland Environmental Service: tbarr@menv.com
Sen. Cory McCray of District 45, deputy majority whip: cory.mccray@senate.state.md.us
Del. Dana Stein of District 11B, vice chair of the Environment and Transportation Committee: dana.stein@house.state.md.us
Yosef Kebede, director of the Howard County Department of Public Works: publicworks@howardcountymd.gov
Lester Davis, vice president and chief of staff of CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield:
Jason Mitchell, former director of the Baltimore City Department of Public Works
Carla A. Reid, former general manager of WSSC Water
Robert M. Summers, former Maryland secretary of the environment
Jessica Medicus, environmental manager of Bay Associates Environmental Inc.
The last five task force members do not have readily accessible email addresses, however there is a general task force email address through which they can be contacted: WaterGovernance@baltimorecountymd.gov
Read more about the task force at:
https://www.baltimorecountymd.gov/boards-commissions/executive/water-governance-task-force
https://mayor.baltimorecity.gov/bc/boards/baltimore-regional-water-governance-task-force#members
