Your Help Needed to Preserve Upper Yough Releases
Maryland's Upper Youghiogheny River is one of the finest expert whitewater runs in the country and one of the few with a predictable summer release schedule. Hundreds of private and commercial paddlers assemble in Friendsville every summer weekend to run the river.
Several years ago American Whitewater supported local kayakers
and outfitters as they worked with the Town of Friendsville, regional and local members of Trout
Unlimited, and Brookfield Power to develop the
current permit. It allows Brookfield to profitably operate their hydro facility while maintaining
a desirable lake level, providing a healthy river environment for trout, and allowing regular
whitewater releases that encourage paddlers to use the river and help Friendsville businesses
thrive.
Recently a handful of property owners on the back coves of Deep Creek Lake have been agitating to raise the “lower rule band”, the minimum level for the lake at a given time. These “backwater lots” have gotten shallow in the summer ever since the dam was built.
Jess Whittemore, Friendsville Town Councilman, sums the issue up this way: “The Deep Creek Policy & Review Board plan will damage Friendsville's economy, do away with 70% of whitewater releases on drought years, and kill most of the trout in the Youghiogheny River so that the Deep Creek Lake Coves can have a 10 day delay of the inevitable low lake water levels.”
The Garrett County Republican recently published the following
editorial:
An Unreasonable Request …
Garrett County Republican
September 22,
2011
It’s no secret
that rural towns throughout much of the country are in dire straits financially, and several of
Garrett County’s municipalities are barely hanging on, as less and less money is coming in
from state and federal sources. So it is imperative
for those towns to hold tightly to what they have in terms of economic base.
The major
“industry” in the town of Friendsville, one of those aforementioned fragile
municipalities, is whitewater rafting on the upper Youghiogheny, which brings in hundreds of
customers from far and wide every year. They spend
money not only to raft the rapids, but also for room and board. A number of them have ended up purchasing property in or near
the town, which benefits the entire county,
However, if the Deep Creek Lake Policy and Review Board (PRB), and to a certain extent, the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce, have their way, the town of Friendsville stand to lose all of that business.
The concern of the board and chamber is the
effect that the water releases into the Yough to make rafting possible have on the level of water
in the lake. Home owners at the lake, particularly those who are located in the many coves where
the water is most shallow, are most negatively affected when the lake levels drop. Besides
releases for rafting, there are other releases that are done in order to maintain a temperature
in the river that will support the trout population.
So a letter dated Sept. 1 was sent by the PRB to the Maryland secretaries of the Department of
Natural Resources and of the Environment demanding that “something more needs to be
done” about maintaining the lake level. It suggests not only that releases for rafting need
to be pared back considerably, but also that the “rationale of annually stocking trout
below the dam should be re-examined.” In other words, if the trout weren’t stocked,
the temperature enhancement releases could be eliminated. Obviously, that would virtually wipe
out the sport of trout fishing in the Yough and, of course, the thousands of trout that are in
the river now would simply die. (What a foul smell that would be.)
The economic impact of Deep Creek Lake on our
county cannot be over-estimated; it’s enormous. However, it seems to be terribly wrong for the PRB, the chamber
of commerce, and the state to basically say “to hell with Friendsville; not our
problem,” and “sorry, trout fishermen, you’ll have to go
elsewhere.”
Looking at the
science of all of this makes the PRB’s request even more unreasonable. First of all, while there are those who claim that Deep Creek
Lake coves are rapidly filling up with sediment, the fact is that sediment levels in the lake,
with the exception of a few coves, have been growing at a rate of about one inch per
decade. Secondly, if all releases for whitewater
rafting were ceased, calculations indicate that the level of the lake, just by evaporation and
natural outflow, would be maintained for only about five more days. In other words, if the lake level is X feet on Sept. 1 of an
average rainfall summer with releases for rafting, it
would be at the same level X feet on Sept. 6 without
the releases. So are five extra days of
“inconvenience” for cove residents – many of whom are not full-time residents
of Garrett County – really worth the sacrifice of the town of Friendsville and trout
fishing in the Yough River?
It is recognized that
the well-being of Deep Creek Lake is the primary responsibility of the PRB, and because of its
economic impact, it must also be a priority for the chamber of commerce. It seems thought that the members of each need to take a closer
look at the scientific information and the numbers.
The economic destruction of one of our towns, and the loss of whitewater rafting and trout
fishing in the Youghiogheny River – both of which draw thousands of people to the county
– simply cannot be part of the solution to this problem.
If you agree, please stand up for summer whitewater on the Upper Yough!
Write the editor of the Garrett County Republican at newsroom@therepublicannews.com supporting their
editorial.
Good letters to the editor are 300-400 words and focus on your
personal experience. If you travel to the Upper Yough from afar, tell them how often and how much
it means to you. If you are a Garrett County property owner your thoughts are particularly
important. Tell them how the river impacted your decision to buy real estate nearby.
Next, send copies of your letter to these local
officials:
George Edwards, Garrett County State Senator: george.edwards@senate.state.md.us
Wendell Beitzel,, Garrett County State Representative: wendell.beitzel@house.state.md.us
Bob Gatto, County Commissioner: bgatto@garrettcounty.org
Nicole Christian, Garret County Chamber of Commerce CEO: nicole@garrettchamber.com
Your letter will make a difference! Tell these people what the river means to you. Tell them where your home is, and how often you visit. If you live nearby, explain how the river influenced your choice of places to live. If you own, rent, or are looking for property in Garrett County or patronize local businesses, say so. Don't delay. The editorial deadline at the Republican is Wednesday, September 28th at 5:00 PM.
Update:
The Garrett County Chamber of Commerce recently contacted AW, noting that the letter and
recommendations referred to in the editorial are from the Deep Creek Lake Policy and Review
Board, not the Chamber of commerce. The Chamber "recognizes Deep Creek Lake as an economic
engine of the County and supports all stakeholders that depend on water from Deep Creek Lake for
recreation". It has asked that AW publish their official position on lake levels, which is
as follows:
“The Chamber recognizes Deep Creek Lake (DCL) as an economic engine of Garrett
County. It considers useable lake levels essential to maintain recreational use. This year DCL
levels have gone below that useable level. We see several reasons for this and believe it is
necessary to revisit some of the terms of the water appropriation permit with an eye toward
holding water levels in the lake higher. We support all stakeholders and encourage cooperation of
these groups to address this issue with a more balanced approach.”
– Adopted September 16, 2010 following a drought.
Boating activity on Deep Creek Lake was quite high in 2010. By way of personal experience, my
wife and I rented a powerboat and explored the entire lake one day in mid-September, 2010.
Although the trip was taken at the height of the drought virtually all of the lake was accessible
to us. (Photo of a cove area above) We're both baffled by the Chamber's position that
"levels have gone below that useable level." The 2007 permit was appealed by the Policy
and Review Board last winter, and after a series of meetings local paddling experts found ways to
save a whole foot of usable lake water. A second appeal, just six months later, seems frivolous
and unreasonable.
We do not agree that "it is necessary to revisit some of the terms of the
water appropriation permit with an eye toward holding water levels in the lake higher." Lake
levels set by the current rule band do not affect most lake users and property owners. The back
coves have always been shallow in late summer and fall, and raising lake levels enough to ofset
this will seriously impact power generation, fish management, and whitewater boating. It will
also encourage further development of marginal lakefront farther upstream.
AW believes that the 2007 permit is a careful, well-balanced compromise between a wide spectrum
of users. We believe that the Chamber of Commerce should support the current permit and resist
efforts by the Deep Creek Policy and Review board to push a narrow agenda that benefits few at
the expense of many.