It has been a little over nine months since the fateful day when
the Norfolk Southern train wreck in Gardeau spilled more than
40,000 gallons of concentrated sodium hydroxide into the
Sinnemahoning Portage Creek.
The resulting pollution that flowed downstream from the June 30
train wreck raised the stream’s pH to dangerously high levels.
These high pH conditions killed fish and destroyed populations of
smaller organisms in the food chain on the Portage Creek and along
much of the Driftwood Branch of the Sinnemahoning Creek.
Based on the encouraging results of stream survey data collected
in recent months, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission has
decided to stock trout this spring in both of these streams.
However, with the opening day of trout season this Saturday,
many fishermen have questions regarding the pollution event and the
fishing conditions that will be encountered on the affected streams
this spring.
Should I change my plans and choose another opening day
destination? Is there any food in these two streams for the trout
that were stocked, or will they all leave because there is not
enough to eat? Will there be any insect hatches for fly-fishing
this season? These are just a few of the many questions that local
fishermen have been asking.
When the chemical spill worked its way through the Driftwood
Branch watershed last summer the spike in pH led to an incredible
fish kill, devastating fish populations in the Portage Creek and
Driftwood Branch.
However, in a disaster such as this one, fish weren’t the only
organisms affected. The entire food chain was disrupted.
In the weeks following the chemical spill, the Department of
Environmental Protection conducted surveys of the benthic
macroinvertebrates (stream bottom dwelling bugs, such as mayflies,
stoneflies, crayfish, etc.) in these streams in order to determine
the extent of the damage.
While the aquatic bug life on the Driftwood Branch was not
affected too much by the high pH conditions, the situation on the
Portage Creek, where the chemicals were more concentrated, was a
different story. Surveys on the Portage Creek showed that the
benthic macroinvertebrates were completely wiped out on the upper
Portage. Only a few of the most pollution tolerant organisms
survived on the lower reaches of the Portage.
Water quality within these streams is normally very good. Thus,
once the stream pH returned to normal, there was nothing preventing
fish and other organisms from recolonizing affected stream
sections. Fish naturally migrate, often moving numerous stream
miles.
Taking this into account, ever since the spill, fish, baitfish,
and other aquatic organisms have moved back into the Driftwood
Branch and Portage from tributaries and stream sections unaffected
by the chemical spill.
Informal surveys conducted this spring by Cameron County
Conservation District watershed specialist, Todd Deluccia, showed
dramatic improvement from the post-spill findings.
“We found a surprising abundance of sensitive mayfly and stone
fly species in the Portage where last summer’s surveys showed an
absence of insect life,” Deluccia recently commented.
In many ways the affected streams have recovered dramatically
since last summer’s chemical spill.
Nevertheless, it will be years before these two streams fully
recover. Although the aquatic bug life that is a staple in the food
chain has begun to bounce back quickly, it will take several years
before it completely recovers and before unstocked fish
populations, such as baitfish species, wild trout, and smallmouth
bass, return to normal.
This brings us back to the question on everyone’s mind: What
will fishermen encounter on the Portage Creek and Driftwood Branch
this spring?
On the Class A Wild Trout section of the Portage Creek,
fishermen will be able to catch a few wild trout that have moved in
from unaffected tributaries.
However, it will be years before the trout populations regain
the numbers and the age class structure that defined this stream
before the sodium hydroxide chemical spill. It will also take a
while for the baitfish and benthic macroinvertebrate populations to
completely return to normal.
Farther downstream on the stocked trout section of the Portage
Creek, fishermen will encounter the same good trout fishing that
they have experienced in previous years. Since this section of
stream is stocked and does not rely on natural trout reproduction
to sustain its fishery, trout fishermen will find an abundance of
trout from this spring’s stockings. Most fly hatches will be
present in the stream, but some will take a few years to build up
to their previous intensities.
Likewise, it will take several years for baitfish populations to
be built back up to previous levels in the Portage.
On the Driftwood Branch, fishermen should encounter the same
insect hatch conditions as in previous years.
Remember, the surveys following the spill showed that this
stream’s bug life wasn’t affected much by the spill. Trout will
also be as abundant as in previous years since the stocking truck
dictates this stream’s trout populations. However, it will take a
while to rebuild the baitfish and unstocked gamefish populations on
the Driftwood Branch. The smallmouth bass fishery on this stream
will be depressed for some time. Populations of larger, older age
smallmouth bass don’t grow overnight.
Many chemicals build up in the food chain and leave long lasting
devastation in their wake. Sodium hydroxide does not. We were
fortunate that sodium hydroxide spilled into the stream and not
something else. Although it will be a long time before these
streams completely recover, fishermen hoping to fish the Portage
Creek and Driftwood Branch for stocked trout this spring do not
need to alter their plans.
