I was thinking a bit about the LeTort recently- mostly about what constrains the place from being a better habitat for trout.
The LeTort is inevitably subject to some pollution issues- primarily from surface runoff. But it's water quality is still relatively good, and not unimprovable.
But what I've noticed has made the most difference for the worse on that stream has been siltation.
And it got me thinking that perhaps there's a partial solution to that problem to be found in human power- that if enough anglers showed up over a period of days, that they could literally manage to dislodge and wash downstream enough silt to uncover more gravel for spawning grounds, and a more diverse insect habitat.
Anyone who's been there- especially if they've waded, but even bankside experience should be sufficient- knows that it's easy to kick up the silt banks in the middle of the stream. What if several dozen people did it at once? (If that wouldn't be overdoing it- I don't want a stream full of dead fish with silt-coated gills.)
(This would not be done during spawning/fry season. Probably best beginning in about March, especially right after a storm.)
I realize that the kicked up silt would probably begin to settle a few hundred yards down- but the Letort is a short stream. A few weeks of doing it, and it could purge the stream of a lot of silt. This might also entail some weed trimming, especially the elodea.
On the other hand, this might not work at all. I might be overestimating the ability of the project to make a dent in the problem- which is a real one- the LeTort has definitely silted up since I first walked much of the length of the upper stream in the mid-1960s, from Bonnybrook to the War College.
I think this is workable because we're talking about a stream that is neither particularly wide or particularly deep. For that matter, the entire length of it is only a few miles. The spring flow is strong and constant. I haven't been the entire length of it, but my impression is that large, slow current pools are even more lacking there than on Falling Springs, so there's a potential to get the mobilized marl mud all the way out to the Conodoguinet and downstream. Although just purging the top two miles would provide a dramatic improvement.
I'm open to hearing any thoughts about this therapy for stream habitat. Including conjectures on why it might not do any good, or might possibly even make things worse.
The LeTort is inevitably subject to some pollution issues- primarily from surface runoff. But it's water quality is still relatively good, and not unimprovable.
But what I've noticed has made the most difference for the worse on that stream has been siltation.
And it got me thinking that perhaps there's a partial solution to that problem to be found in human power- that if enough anglers showed up over a period of days, that they could literally manage to dislodge and wash downstream enough silt to uncover more gravel for spawning grounds, and a more diverse insect habitat.
Anyone who's been there- especially if they've waded, but even bankside experience should be sufficient- knows that it's easy to kick up the silt banks in the middle of the stream. What if several dozen people did it at once? (If that wouldn't be overdoing it- I don't want a stream full of dead fish with silt-coated gills.)
(This would not be done during spawning/fry season. Probably best beginning in about March, especially right after a storm.)
I realize that the kicked up silt would probably begin to settle a few hundred yards down- but the Letort is a short stream. A few weeks of doing it, and it could purge the stream of a lot of silt. This might also entail some weed trimming, especially the elodea.
On the other hand, this might not work at all. I might be overestimating the ability of the project to make a dent in the problem- which is a real one- the LeTort has definitely silted up since I first walked much of the length of the upper stream in the mid-1960s, from Bonnybrook to the War College.
I think this is workable because we're talking about a stream that is neither particularly wide or particularly deep. For that matter, the entire length of it is only a few miles. The spring flow is strong and constant. I haven't been the entire length of it, but my impression is that large, slow current pools are even more lacking there than on Falling Springs, so there's a potential to get the mobilized marl mud all the way out to the Conodoguinet and downstream. Although just purging the top two miles would provide a dramatic improvement.
I'm open to hearing any thoughts about this therapy for stream habitat. Including conjectures on why it might not do any good, or might possibly even make things worse.
