Hi folks,
I feel sorry to post my second topic on this site with the following content.
Very recently there is a notice on the PA DCNR website about Black Moshannon. It says due to dam and boat launch repair the lake will be drawn down for 3 feet start from Aug. 23 till at least November.
If you have ever fished there, you will know that it is a unique mountain-top bog lake covered with thick weeds, lotus and lily, and it is a very shallow lake. The center channel is only roughly about 7-8ft deep in the middle during summer. It averages 2-3ft in most part of the lake. It has great bass fishery as well as pickerels and big bluegills. It produces trophy bass, too.
Now the point is, if this lake was drawn down by 3 feet, it is very likely going to shrink to only 1/3 of its current size. In such an extraordinarily hot summer, thousands of fish trapped in pools not connected to channel are going to die, those in the channel are very likely to suffer from de-oxygenation or simply have much greater chance to be anihilated by predators including human. Another brutal result is potential air pollution. There are about 1 feet thickness of plant debris/mud on the bottom around shore, after the drawn down, those mud/debris will be baked by sun directly with dead fish, generating stinky gas. Also, if the lake could not be back to its normal level as scheduled, the water could easily freeze with fish iced in.
Furthermore, there was not any hearing about the drawn down. I don't see where the fish commission is. Am I over-reacting to it or what? I mean this seems to be common sense that a shallow lake like Black Mo is vulnerable to huge water loss during hot summer, but no one cares. They definitely need to justify the damage this drawn down is going to cause on the eco-system-the whole lake and bog area, on all the creatures living there, not only fish, but also frogs, turtles, birds, etc. I was told that they were expecting the fishery to come back in two years--so optimistic. Hey but this is not Sayers lake which is accustomed to drawn down every year! Also not Lake Perez which does not have a long history. The unique eco-system of Black Mo deserves a special plan!!! If this drawn down is going to happen, in my opinion, it is going to be a disaster for sure.
Now a couple specific questions regarding this drawn down:
a. Is this drawn down a real necessity?
b. Why 3 feet? Is this based on minimum harm to the lake or simply based on "construction necessity"?
c. Why the whole lake? There is only one concrete single lane boat lauch at the north side of the lake near the dam. The other three are for canoes/kayaks only. I am actually not seeing any necessity of renovation of all four boat launches. Even there is, it will be very easy to just build a temporary "water fence" around the launch, pump out the water inside the fence and then do the repair. Same thing to the dam. Black Mo dam is not a mile-long dam. To build a temporary water fence and a temporary outflow, re-route the water to circumvent the dam which needs repair, then go back to the Black Mo Creek. Or even build another dam in front of the current one. I know it is easy to just talk, but it is simply so difficult to hang on with such a beautiful and crispy eco-system. Black Mo is like a Florida lake in PA! It is always easy to destroy,though.
d. Why in summer?
e. Is there any scientific support to justify this drawn down? Is it approved by fish commission?
Thank you so much for reading through all my long and awkward writing. It is breaking my heart :'(, as well as many other local fishermen's. Black Moshannon lake is overlooked. It deserves to be cherished.
I hope you can throw in some suggestions about what we bass anglers can do about this issue. I appreciate all input. I will do everything I can to save the black pearl.
Tight lines,
Jerry
