Pennsylvania Code › Title 25 - ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION › Part I - Department of Environmental Protection › Subpart A - Preliminary Provisions › Article II - Statements of Policy › Chapter 11 - OUTDOOR RECREATION › Subchapter A - SCENIC RIVERS › Section 11.5 - Statement of dredging policy

Current through Register Vol. 54, No. 28, July 13, 2024
(a)
						The Department, under its role as proprietor of the mineral resources in the
						beds of the navigable streams of this Commonwealth, has reviewed its agreement
						program for commercial dredging and has concluded that further restrictions
						must be placed on the removal of sand and gravel from the beds of these streams
						in order to protect the public interest. The Department will accept
						applications for annual agreements in Lake Erie, the Ohio River and the
						Allegheny River below East Brady. In the case of the Allegheny River above East
						Brady, the Department will accept applications for annual agreements only
						through 1980. The agreements shall be limited to existing dredge pools between
						river miles 126.4 and 131.9 between Franklin and Oil City, Venango County, and
						between river miles 184.7 and 185.5, at Conewango Township, Warren County. This
						5-year phase-out of dredging in the Upper Allegheny is based on the following
						reasons:
(1)
Natural and scenic
						resources.
The Upper Allegheny River is a unique natural and scenic
						resource. It has been named as a potential addition to the National Wild and
						Scenic Rivers System, under proposed Federal legislation, and has been
						designated for in-depth study as a highest priority river under the
						Pennsylvania Wild and Scenic Rivers program. Dredging, however, diminishes the
						qualities which both of these programs protect.
(2)
Fishery resource.
The
						extraction of sand and gravel from the Upper Allegheny seriously impairs its
						value as a fishery resource. By destroying riffle areas, the shallow areas of
						the river most favorable to fish propagation, dredging interferes with the
						aquatic habitat necessary to support fish life. The deep dredged pools fill
						with sediment, resulting in an alteration of the fish life inhabiting the
						pools. Rough fish, such as carp and other bottom feeders, replace game fish.
						The entire aquatic ecosystem is altered in dredged areas.
(3)
Hydraulic effects.
Dredging has adverse hydraulic effects on the river. By lowering the normal
						water surface and increasing the cross-sectional area of the river, it prevents
						the water from assuming its natural slope and creates a falls effect at the
						upper end of the dredge pool. The lowering of the river bottom by dredging
						steepens the stream grade at the head of the dredged pool and causes increased
						flow velocities at this location. The velocities cause additional erosion,
						resulting in the lowering of the bottom grades of the river and its
						tributaries. This subsequent erosion condition may persist for years, resulting
						in possible damage to streamside improvements and degradation of water quality
						through siltation. Dredging slows water velocity in the rest of the pool; in
						the winter this effect increases the possibility of ice jams, as the slower
						moving waters cannot remove the ice.
(4)
Recreational resource.
The Upper Allegheny is also utilized as a recreational resource by canoeists,
						boaters, and those with summer homes along its shore. These recreational uses
						contribute substantially to the local economy. Dredging, however, adversely
						affects uses of the shoreline and may lower property values, both of which
						would have an impact on the economic benefit of recreational uses. Although it
						may provide deep pools for boating, dredging creates dangers for canoeists who
						find themselves pulled over the upper edge of dredged pools and waders who
						suddenly experience a sharp fall upon stepping over the edge of the pool. The
						dredge apparatus and barges also interfere with boat traffic on the
						river.