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.