Arkansas Game and Fish Commission biologists continue to evaluate some different strains of rainbows to complement their current stocking strategy. Recently, some McConaughy rainbow fingerlings were stocked in both the Little Red and the White Rivers. According to trout biologist Jeff Williams, “The fingerlings averaged about 3.5 inches in length and were marked with an adipose fin clip.”

The McConaughy rainbows (pronounced mih-KAH-nuh-hay) originate from the North Plate River Valley above Lake McConaughy in western Nebraska. There the rainbows make a natural spawning run out of the lake into the groundwater tributary streams in the winter and reproduce. The smolts then migrate into the lake for a period of 2-3 years before returning to the streams to spawn as 3-4 pound rainbows.

Williams says the trout biologists here have been investigating using other strains of rainbows in the White River tailwaters since data suggests the typical stocked rainbow is not getting the growth rate desired in the catch and release areas which have recently been studied. Williams thinks a “wilder” strain such as the McConaughy bows might be better foragers in the tailwaters. In 2008, AGFC stocked a small number of McConaughy’s in the Little Red. The high water that year foiled attempts to sample and evaluate those efforts.  A few were recaptured and those had seemed to grow extremely well.

This summer AGFC stocked about 12,500 fingerlings in the Bull Shoals Catch & Release area and an equal amount at Rim Shoals. These were stocked the end of July.  About 25,000 fingerlings were stocked in the Little Red about the same time as well. 

An initial sample was conducted last week and monthly samples in the coming year will be taken to monitor growth and survival.  The first sample at Bull Shoals dam found a pretty good number of the fingerlings, which were concentrated around the cedar trees that the AGFC habitat program had put in last year.  At Rim Shoals far fewer fingerlings were found. 

AGFC has received a verbal agreement from the Norfork National Fish hatchery to raise some McConaughy’s for the Norfork Tailwater, and Williams anticipates those to be ready within the year. 

© 2010, Scott Branyan

Corrective measures are needed early again this year and probably point to another bad low DO season. Vents on turbines at Bull Shoals and Norfork dams were opened on July 14th this summer as dissolved oxygen readings fell below the state standard of 6.0 parts per million for trout waters. This is an annual occurrence, although it is typically a more severe problem during high water years. This is the third back-to-back high water year for the White River reservoirs, which is historically rare. The Corps started taking corrective action about the same time the previous two summers.

As the lakes stratify in the summer months, decaying matter in the water on the bottom of the lake uses up oxygen through microbial action. As it becomes depleted of O2, and as the powerhouse runs heavy to meet hydropower demands, that dead water gets pulled through the turbines and into the tailwaters endangering trout and other fish and aquatic life. This has resulted in numerous fish kills over the years. And it is particularly troublesome as the low DO condition worsens into the late fall of the year just as brown trout are attempting to migrate to gravel beds to spawn below the dams.

Even though a dissolved oxygen committee was formed by Governor Bill Clinton in the early 1990s to correct the problem, a decision on a remedy has been elusive and no money has come forward to fix it. The state argues this is a continued mitigation problem endemic to the building of the dams, and the Corps of Engineers counters the dams were authorized by Congress for flood control and hydropower, and the fishery is mitigated through the federally funded hatchery system which is run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Corps says it can’t be held responsible for the fact that low DO, which falls below the state water quality standards for trout of 6.0 ppm, limits successful spawning of trout in the river system and occasionally results in fish kills. The low DO is a problem with watershed quality, it argues. 

If the trout tailwaters were only a put-and-take fishery, then occasion fish kills might be acceptable. But impacting as it does just at the time of the brown trout spawn makes this a worse case scenario. The smallmouth fishery that was here before the construction of the dams was a natural, not a put-and-take fishery. Further, the tailwater trout fisheries have proven they can successfully compete with well established wild trout fisheries as far as producing several trout species which grow to rival trout in their native ranges and even produce world record fish. That successful natural reproduction of brown trout in the tailwater system is not only possible but likely is now without question.

The biology textbook I have states a DO level of 8.0 ppm is necessary for healthy naturally reproducing trout and in order to have a successful spawn. A DO level of 6.0 falls short of this, although Game and Fish biologists say it is a realistic number to strive for given the annual problem with the anoxic water from the dams. The Corps would like to see the state drop the water quality standard for trout to 5.0 ppm as corrective measures are expensive.

According to readings from USGS gages today, DO below Norfork dam today dropped to 4.3 milligrams per liter (this is the same as parts per million or ppm) under full generation. When this happens, the Corps usually implements a maximum load restriction which helps keep the DO level higher. As the problem worsens maximum load restrictions are further reduced, since heavy generation pulls more anoxic water off the bottom of the lake and the vents on the turbines which siphon air into the system become less effective at higher generation loads. The Corps has yet to implement those restrictions this summer. But I would look for it to happen soon.

Arkansas Game and Fish Commission biologists started using stocking restrictions on Norfork and Bull Shoals tailwaters a few years ago when DO readings consistently stay low. As the reading worsens look for these measures to be put into effect this fall. It looks to be another bad DO season on the tailwaters. The DO problem goes away as soon as the lakes finish turning over usually by December 15th.

© 2010, Scott Branyan

Dr. Russell Rhodes, a phycologist at Missouri State University and the one who identified the invasive algae didymo in Beaver tailwater in 2003, has been awarded a grant to conclude a study began in 2009 on Beaver Reservoir.

According to a news release today by MSU:

Dr. Russell Rhodes, emeritus professor of biology, recently received a grant from the U.S. Geological Survey for his project entitled “Phytoplankton Analysis of Beaver Lake Reservoir, Arkansas” for $8,370.

“The project is designed to continue the evaluation of water quality at various locations in Beaver Lake, which is the main water source for much of northwest Arkansas, including Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers and Benton,” said Rhodes.

By analyzing water samples from Beaver Lake, Rhodes is studying the nutrient level fluctuations and the presence of diatoms, blue green algae and other algae that comprise phytoplankton. Samples collected from 2009 and 2010 will be analyzed and the results finalized by the end of 2010.

 “Diatoms and blue green algae can have harmful effects in domestic water supplies that include taste and odor problems,” said Rhodes. “By understanding the dynamics of phytoplankton, better water treatment and control of the reservoir can be attained.”

The study of phytoplankton on Beaver Lake is the first I know of since very early studies were done as the lake was forming or shortly after.

© 2010, Scott Branyan

The Joplin Globe reports on a regional water conference held at Crowder College Monday and sponsored by the Multi-Basin Regional Water Council. The article warns of an impending water crisis and drought for the four state area.

© 2010, Scott Branyan

Bryan Hendricks in Sunday’s Arkansas Democrat-Gazette suggests Chesapeake Energy has lost interest in building a gas pipe line across the Little Red River at Cow Shoals and realizes it was a public relations disaster. The kicker to his article is mention of the conservation easement the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission holds across from the AGFC land Chesapeake wanted to lease. The easement prohibts such activity and would require legislative action and a waiver from Gov. Beebe to proceed. It’s fortunate ANHC held this property.

Thanks to all of you who got involved with this. Your vigilance saved another stream disaster potentially affecting White River tailwaters.

I attended the Arkansas Water Resources Center research conference this past week.

Doug Melton with Southwest Energy Company (Arkansas Western Gas) which drilled the first well in the Fayetteville Shale spoke from the industry perspective on Shale Gas Drilling and Production on Water Resources. He showed a video available on Southwest Energy’s website. A few important questions people had for him, e.g. on estimated future water use, he couldn’t or wouldn’t answer. He said his attorneys had gone through his PowerPoint and deleted stuff which they considered forward looking statements prohibited by the SEC. Most of the attendees were professional biologists/chemists/geologists/engineers. It became rather apparent to all he had nothing of significance he could say to address concerns.

Chris Davidson with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service gave the regulatory perspective. He didn’t spend any time on groundwater withdrawal or disposal of waste water, but said the major problem right now in the industry is with major storm water runoff. The industry has had one reserve pit spill in the Barnett shale in Texas which resulted in a major fish kill. Because of the rapidly increasing number of drilling sites, the Corps has become involved and is doing cumulative effects analysis on its jurisdictional waters in Arkansas’ Fayetteville Shale area.

The adverse effects of the drilling sites are:

• Reduced stream flow
• Alteration of biota and aquatic habitats
• Aquifer depletion
• Stream flow disruption
• Seeps (channel formation in the right of way)
• Fertility (excessive algae growth in the streams because of removal of overhead canopy)
• Channel incision below hanging outlets
• Slopes without vegetation
• Contaminants from well pads
• Well pads in karst areas with no erosion controls
• Well pads constructed on ephemeral streams and fill slopes which result in recut-rechannelized streams
• Sediment intrusion into the forest floor down to the perennial streams

The roads to the well pad are a major source of sediment and there are few sufficient erosion controls on the projects. Pipelines present the biggest erosion problem of all. Cadron Creek was spoiled by sediment, and this caused the USFWS to get involved in 2007. Wet open cut trenching has also ruined the middle fork of the Little Red River where Davidson says it is 100 percent embedded with sand which flowed out of the Indian Creek watershed due to drilling impacts.

Sometime ago I spoke with a gas industry executive. He confirmed to me the problems mentioned here and said the only way to keep the industry in check with regard to these problems is through constant, careful monitoring.

Please contact your state legislators and congressmen and ask that they increase monitoring efforts on the industry. Without continued vigilance, our streams will continue to be degraded. Thanks!

© 2010, Scott Branyan

CORPS IMPLEMENTS NEW CONDITION FOR CERTAIN PERMITS IN FAYETTEVILLE SHALE AREA

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The Army Corps of Engineers has implemented a new regional condition to four nationwide permits that will help protect the aquatic resources in the 33 Arkansas counties known as the Fayetteville Shale Play region.

The affected counties are Arkansas, Cleburne, Conway, Crawford, Cross, Faulkner, Franklin, Independence, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Lee, Logan, Lonoke, Madison, Monroe, Newton, Perry, Phillips, Pope, Prairie, Pulaski, Saline, Scott, Searcy, Sebastian, Stone, St. Francis, Van Buren, Washington, White, Woodruff and Yell.

Nationwide permits streamline the permit process by authorizing certain categories of activities that are similar in nature and that cause minimal environmental impact to waters of the United States including lakes, rivers, streams and wetlands.

The nationwide permits that now include the new regional condition are Nationwide Permit Number 6, which applies to survey activities; Number 12, which applies to utility line activities; Number 14, which applies to linear transportation projects; and Number 18, which applies to minor discharges of material in the waters of the U.S.

These permits contain conditions that must be met to ensure aquatic environments are protected.  The new condition is known as Arkansas Regional Condition Number 5, and it requires those seeking to perform work in waters of the U.S. in the 33 affected counties to first give the Corps written notice.  If the Corps determines the work results in more than minimal effects, a more detailed permit review will be required.

The new regional condition applies to all activities authorized by the four nationwide permits, and includes activities conducted by the public, municipalities and natural gas companies.

These nationwide permits, along with other permits the Corps issues, are under the jurisdiction of Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act.  More information about the Corps’ permit program and the new regional condition can be obtained on the Internet at www.swl.usace.army.mil/regulatory.

Here is the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s 2009 Annual Report on the trout management program.

[Update 3/9/2010] Here are the specific tailwater managment plans and creel reports. You can find some of the biological objectives in the specific plans. They are generally given in fish per hours of electroshocking.

© 2010, Scott Branyan

In a creative public relations arrangement, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and Chesapeake Energy of Oklahoma City have partnered to bring the Totally Trout family event back to the Arkansas State Fairgrounds March 6, 2010. What’s wrong with this picture?

Chesapeake begins seismic testing this spring on the AGFC Gulf Mountain Wildlife Management Area and continues to pursue a lease of 64 acres from AGFC at Cow Shoals on the Little Red River. Landowners along the Little Red with as little as one acre of land are being pressured to sign lease agreements. In addition, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission allowed the trucking of one million barrels of waste water in from October to December from frack drilling wells in Arkansas’ Fayetteville Shale play to waste containment wells in an area in Oklahoma whose residents don’t want it.

AGFC was scheduled to discuss the Little Red lease as last month’s commission meeting, but apparently it has been put off until the March commission meeting.

Federal and other state agency employees I’ve talked to are incensed over the power of the Arkansas Oil and Gas Commission and AGFC’s compromising stance with regard to the resource it manages, and I would not be surprised to see further legal action to try to halt the fracking menace in north central Arkansas. As one federal worker told me, “ground water is surface water,” and contamination is a big concern. Be watching.

© 2010, Scott Branyan

Banquet and ticket information is out for the Spring Fundraising Banquet which is Friday, March 5th.

© 2010, Scott Branyan

Arkansas Trout Unlimited Council (the state representation of TU) has published a letter to AGFC urging the commission to repeal Option 2 and approve Option 1 (the option recommended by the staff biologists and result of the public input process) of the Trout Management Plan for Norfork tailwater recently proposed and voted on by the commission this summer and fall. It is urging Arkansas’ 1,000 TU members to contact the commission expressing support of the TU request. There is a link on the Arkansas Chapter’s website to the contacts of commissioners.

Arkansas Chapter of TU’s website is at:
http://www.arkansaschaptertu.org/

© 2009, Scott Branyan