Are the Upper Delaware River Flows Bad?

The Upper Delaware River system is considered the finest wild trout fishery east of the Mississippi, yet every season it is surrounded in controversy. There is a non-stop argument over the regulated flows in the river system and how the river has yet to reach its full potential. I would agree that the river would benefit from more water, but this could result in the worst possible situation, to little water.

The main rivers that feed the Upper Delaware System are the West Branch of the Delaware and the East Branch of the Delaware (there are others but these are the main two), and where they meet the water is considered the Upper Delaware River. On both of the East and West Branches of the Delaware there are damns. These damns release water from the bottom of the reservoirs (which the damns created) to feed the downstream rivers. Since the water is coming from the bottom of the reservoirs it is very cold which creates the perfect habitat for trout. Wild trout thrive below the reservoirs for many miles including the upper part of the Main Delaware. These moderately large rivers full of cold water have created the best wild trout fishery in the east.

The reservoirs were created by New York City to supply the city with drinking water. The city is required to release enough water to keep the river at a certain flow downstream. This is where things get messy. The amount of water required to be released does not always keep the river at a higher level. Since the releases are often minimal during the summer months the cold water coming from the reservoirs warms quicker limiting the trout habitat to the upper reaches of the river system. This is the argument that has raged for years. Environmental groups are arguing for higher minimal releases to extend the trout habitat during the most stressful time for the fish, the summer. The groups in charge of the water releases are wary of the higher releases because these reservoirs need to supply New York City with water and keep the downstream rivers flowing at a certain rate.

Now, first let me state that I would love to see the Delaware River system get more productive. However, these arguments that are being made by the environmental groups could cause more harm than good. Let me Explain. The reservoirs only hold a certain amount of cold water. This is the key; since the trout need cold water to survive depleting it would be the worst possible scenario. Higher releases eliminate the cold water in the reservoirs quicker. Now the reservoirs have constant water coming into the system from the upstream rivers and streams but not at the rate that would be require if the reservoirs were to release more water. Basically it depends on the weather, in years of lots of rain the reservoirs could release a lot of water, but it is the drought years that would cause the problems.

If droughts were very easy to predict the river system would have no problems, but droughts aren't easy to predict. A quick example of my point, the reservoirs start to release more water because all weather patterns are normal. Then weeks go by with no rain, less water is coming into the system then is being released and the cold water in the reservoirs starts to diminish. Now by law the reservoirs have to keep the river at a certain flow downstream, but there is less water coming into the downstream river from natural sources, like groundwater or other tributaries, because of the drought. Hence the reservoirs have to release more water to keep the downstream river flowing, more stress on an already stressed system. Very soon the cold water is used up in the reservoirs, which leads to a massive trout die off. The system would take years to recover. If you think this scenario is uncommon it is not. In every dry summer the West Branch increases its flows to counteract the lesser flows from natural sources. So it is important to hold back some of the cold water in case of droughts.

Again, I am all for improving the Delaware River system, but baby steps must be taken. Small increases in flows (like the current regime) should be made. Currently the minimal summer flow is 240 cubic feet per second while the environmental groups are pushing for minimal releases around 600. They argue this is the AVERAGE flow over the summer period. The average is the completely wrong statistic to look at, groups should only concern themselves with the historic drought years and how the cold-water bank held up in those years and under what flows.

The Delaware River System has flourished under the current regulations. It is considered by almost everyone to be the best wild trout fishery in the east. So what's wrong with it? Sure it could be better, but it could also be much worse. Drought is the one thing that could ruin the river quickly, that is what we need to protect against. The reservoir and the cold water are there to help us prevent that. Everyone who has ever fished this fantastic river system should consider himself or herself lucky, and that's what we have to keep reminding ourselves. We are lucky to have this fantastic fishery because before the damns it did not exist the way we know and love it today.