Delaware River Report / Conditions October 15, 2016

The release from Cannonsville was increased to 1,687 cfs overnight.  It is dropping this morning on the following schedule:

1,587 cfs 1:30 am
1,486 cfs 2:30 am
1,386 cfs 3:30 am
1,286 cfs 4:30 am
1,185 cfs 5:30 am
1,151 cfs 6:30 am until further notice

So we started yesterday morning at 280 cfs.  The release was increased to 1,687 cfs.  Now we are dropping back to 1,151 cfs.  I don’t see how anyone could justify these extreme release fluctuations as being good for the river system or how NYC DEP is a “Good Neighbor” to the downstream users as reported in a press release earlier in the season.  The East Branch is still bone dry.  It appears Lake Wallenpaupack is done releasing for a while so we should have higher releases for a while.  It would be nice to see these releases split between Cannonsville and Pepacton but that would be asking too much of our “Good Neighbors”

This looks like it could be a good streamer day on the West Branch.  We’ve been seeing decent olives on some afternoons mixed with a few cahills and isonychias.  There are caddis around but most of them seem to be being eaten under the surface either rising pupa or diving egg laying adults.

Hatching:
Slate Drake – #12 – 14- Isonychia bicolor
Olive Sulphur – #18 – 20– Heptagenia hebe
Tiny Blue Winged Olive – #22 – 26 – Psuedocloeon spp.
Blue Winged Olive – #18 – 20 – E. lata
Tan Caddis – #16 – 20 – Hydropsyche spp.
Dark Brachycentrus sp. – #14 – 18 – Dark Grannom
Blue Winged Olives #16 – 18 – Baetis vagans (updated name: Baetis tricaudatus)