SUSQUEHANNA RIVER BASIN COMMISSION Annual Report 2017 CONTENTS
2 Executive Director’s Message CONTRIBUTORS 3 2017 Commissioners and John Balay, Brent Bauman, Commission Leadership Mike College, Andrew Gavin, Aaron Henning, Pierre MaCoy, 4 Assisting Municipalities with Technical Support and Training Benjamin Pratt, and Matthew Shank
5 Promoting Water Conservation EDITOR through the Use of New Technologies Gwyn Rowland 6 Balancing Water Uses and Ecosystem Needs 8 Communities Building Flood Resiliency 9 The American Eel—a Story of Recovery? On the cover: West Branch 10 Protecting Aquatic Ecosystems Susquehanna River, Lycoming through Compliance County, within the Borough of Jersey Shore. 12 Fiscal Year 2017 Financial Summary Photo by Nicholas A. Tonelli.
Susquehanna River Basin Commission 1 Brook trout require cold, flowing water year-round to maintain robust populations. For more on protecting aquatic ecosystems, see page 10.
Susquehanna River Basin Commission 1 Andrew D. Dehoff, P.E.
As I reflect on the Commission’s activities in 2017, two elements EXECUTIVE stand out — advancement of our mission through the use of technology and the benefit of the Commission’s on-the-ground DIRECTOR’S presence in comprehensive water resource management.
Message In support of its commitment to those communities the best available encouraging the use of state-of-the-art warning of possible onset of flooding. technology, in 2017 the Commission made good on its 2015 resolution offering Equally critical to meeting our mission are incentives for the use of dry cooling the Commission’s boots on the ground. technology at power generating facilities. Commission scientists routinely take to The technology dramatically reduces the field to participate in environmental the consumptive water use associated improvement projects, study the impacts with power generation and serves as a of water use on our ecosystems and model for modern and effective water communities, collect information for conservation. The Commission approved drought and flood planning, and ensure or began the permit review process regulatory compliance. To highlight our of seven natural gas-fired power plants ongoing efforts to effectuate sound water using dry cooling technology in 2017, management, this annual report includes reducing consumptive use by as much an overview of our staff’s involvement as 90 percent. in the American eel restoration effort, our commitment to providing technical State-of-the-art technology is also evident assistance to municipal water suppliers, in the cooperative flood forecasting a focus on ensuring trout are returning and warning system. The Commission to a creek where their habitat had been worked with local and federal partners lost, and examples of our pursuit of in the installation of remotely controlled innovative consumptive use mitigation and digitally transmitting cameras that initiatives in the Basin. provide real-time, around-the-clock observations of flood conditions on I am proud to share these examples of urban streams. The system also added the Commission’s 2017 accomplishments new locations to the online flood and welcome your input on future inundation mapping tool, affording Commission direction and efforts.
2 Annual Report 2017 Susquehanna River Basin Commission 3 2017 COMMISSIONERS COMMISSION LEADERSHIP
EXECUTIVE STAFF Andrew D. Dehoff, P.E. Executive Director Andrew J. Gavin Deputy Executive Director Marcia E. Hutchinson, MBA Director, Administration and Finance
GENERAL COUNSEL MARYLAND (CHAIR) UNITED STATES (VICE CHAIR) BEN GRUMBLES BRIG. GENERAL Jason E. Oyler, Esquire Secretary WILLIAM H. GRAHAM Maryland Department Commander MANAGERS of the Environment North Atlantic Division U.S. Army Corps of Engineers John W. Balay, P.E., P.H. 1st Alternate: Saeid Kasraei Planning and Operations 2nd Alternate: Virginia Kearney 1st Alternate: Col. Edward P. Chamberlayne Paula B. Ballaron, P.G. 2nd Alternate: David J. Leach Policy Implementation and Outreach 3rd Alternate: Amy M. Guise Todd D. Eaby, P.G. Project Review Gordon D. Lauger Accounting Brydon H. Lidle, III Information Technology Gwyn W. Rowland Governmental and Public Affairs Eric R. Roof Compliance and Enforcement James P. Shallenberger Monitoring and Protection NEW YORK PENNSYLVANIA BASIL SEGGOS PATRICK MCDONNELL Commissioner Secretary SECRETARY TO New York State Department of Pennsylvania Department of THE COMMISSION Environmental Conservation Environmental Protection Stephanie L. Richardson
1st Alternate: James Tierney 1st Alternate: Dana Aunkst 2nd Alternate: Paul D’Amato 2nd Alternate: Jennifer Orr 3rd Alternate: Scott Foti
Susquehanna River Basin Commission 3 ASSISTING MUNICIPALITIES with TECHNICAL SUPPORT and TRAINING
The Commission continued to provide free assistance to municipal public water suppliers to keep them abreast of and comply with regulatory requirements. This year, the program was expanded beyond Pennsylvania to offer assistance to municipal systems throughout the Susquehanna River Basin, now including New York and Maryland.
• Water Loss Management Instructional Series Targeting aging distribution systems, this three-part workshop series provided in-depth training on water loss auditing, accurate metering and billing, and reducing water losses through leak reduction and pressure management;
• Water Resource Management Considerations for Public Water Supply Managers Workshops focused on operational and financial aspects of public water Panel discussion at supply management. September 2017 workshop. The Public Water Supply Assistance Program (PWSAP) offers municipal More than 45 representatives from systems with fewer than 10,000 30 municipal systems attended the 2017 customers specialized technical assistance workshop series. If a utility does not in meeting regulatory requirements manage its assets, the assets and provides opportunities to participate A new element to the program involves in workshops that address a variety of helping water supply systems meet will manage the utility management challenges. By attending their post-approval permit conditions. was a take-home the free workshops, system managers Once a water withdrawal permit is message at the Water benefit by learning about the latest approved by the Commission, public advancements in design, construction, water suppliers are required to conduct Resource Management operation and maintenance of wells monitoring to best manage their system Instructional workshop and distribution systems. and show that significant adverse on asset management. impacts will not occur as a result of the Other topics in the workshop series withdrawal. Commission staff can included: now assist municipal systems with the data collection and analyses needed to satisfy this post-approval permit condition.
4 Annual Report 2017 Susquehanna River Basin Commission 5 PROMOTING WATER CONSERVATION through the USE of NEW TECHNOLOGIES
In 2014, power generation accounted for 30 percent of reported consumptive water use in the Basin that was removed and not returned to the Basin’s streams and rivers. However, significant changes to these water use rates are occurring as new power plants are using combined cycle and dry cooling technologies that can greatly reduce a facility’s water usage.
Traditional power plants typically use water-intensive cooling techniques such as once-through cooling or evaporative cooling. Both of these methods of cooling are considered “wet” cooling methods where the steam that drives a turbine to produce power is cooled using water passing through a condenser.
Power plants that use natural gas have the additional opportunity to switch from single cycle to combined cycle (gas and steam turbines in concert). With combined cycle gas turbines comes increased opportunities for dry Map of dry cooling power plants in the Basin. cooling technology that uses air to cool the steam. The use of dry cooling results in the reduction of consumptive In 2015, the Commission adopted a cooling, which can include prioritizing use of approximately 95 percent over resolution encouraging the use of dry permit reviews and the consideration of evaporative cooling. cooling as it presents an opportunity to reduced streamflow passby conditions. conserve significant quantities of waters in the Basin with the increased use To date, two dry cooling power plants of natural gas for power generation. have been constructed in the Basin As part of the resolution, the Commission and five are in various phases of design offers incentives for the use of dry or construction.
Susquehanna River Basin Commission 5 BALANCING WATER USES and ECOSYSTEM NEEDS
Whitney Point Lake, Broome County, NY.
The authors of the Susquehanna Consumptive water use is defined as uses and the aquatic ecosystem. River Basin Compact felt water that is withdrawn either from Mitigation can be accomplished several strongly that in order to best groundwater or surface-water sources ways — by releasing water from a manage the Basin’s water and is not returned undiminished pond or reservoir, not withdrawing resources, the Commission in quantity. Examples include water water during low water flows, or paying would need to regulate water that is evaporated, incorporated into an optional fee that the Commission that is consumptively used. manufactured products, or injected uses to develop mitigation projects on deep underground. behalf of those facilities that cannot provide the mitigation themselves. When drought or low streamflow conditions exist within the Basin, the Through a partnership with the Commission’s regulations require U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), projects using certain volumes of water the Commission has secured agreements to mitigate their water use to ensure for the use of water storage from that water is available for downstream Curwensville Lake, Clearfield County,
6 Annual Report 2017 Susquehanna River Basin Commission 7 and Cowanesque Lake, Tioga County, Other Low Flow Pennsylvania, to help offset consumptive Management Initiatives water use by power generation projects and other users in the Basin. Lancashire #15 Abandoned Mine Drainage Treatment Plant, The following projects also illustrate Cambria County, Pennsylvania the Commission’s commitment to Built in partnership with the PA managing low streamflows through Department of Environmental Protection, consumptive use mitigation and this treatment plant maintains water ecosystem restoration. levels in an underground mine pool that not only prevents the formation and discharge of acid mine drainage, but Lancashire #15 Abandoned Mine Drainage Environmental Improvement also provides streamflow augmentation Treatment Plant, Cambria County, PA. Projects to help mitigate Pennsylvania’s agricul- Whitney Point Lake, tural consumptive use. Broome County, New York Beginning in 1997, the Commission Billmeyer Quarry, collaborated with USACE to study and Lancaster County, Pennsylvania implement improvements at the lake Currently being studied in partnership that resulted in the elimination of a with the Lancaster County Solid Waste 7-foot winter drawdown and added Management Authority, this abandoned 8,500 acre-feet of water storage in order limestone quarry may be able to provide to make water releases from the reser- water releases to mitigate consumptive voir of 30 to 65 million gallons per day uses within the Lower Susquehanna during low flow periods to improve the region. downstream aquatic ecosystem. Pennsylvania State Park Lakes Foster Joseph Sayers Reservoir, The Commission, PA Department of Billmeyer Quarry, Lancaster County, PA. Centre County, Pennsylvania Conservation and Natural Resources, The Commission is currently partnering and PA Fish and Boat Commission with USACE to study the feasibility have agreed to coordinate periodic of operational alternatives at the dam to water releases from state park lakes. improve the quality of the lake and This coordination provides the downstream environments in a similar opportunity to time water releases to manner as the Whitney Point project. provide additional water during periods of low water levels.
Susquehanna River Basin Commission 7 COMMUNITIES BUILDING FLOOD RESILIENCY
As part of its mission, the Commission strives to safeguard human life and property in the face of flooding. The Commission focuses on non-structural techniques such as flood forecasting and warning and enhanced communication tools to offset risks associated with flooding. During 2017, Commission staff continued to work toward completion of several projects.
Tri-County Digital Flood Wyoming Valley Flood Swatara Creek Flood Study Warning System Inundation Mapping In partnership with the U.S. Army In partnership with Huntingdon, Residents in the Wyoming Valley will Corps of Engineers (USACE), the Dauphin, and Lancaster Counties in soon be able to view flood inundation Commission collected bathymetric, Pennsylvania, the Commission installed maps using an online map viewer or river bed contour mapping, data for nine cellular-based web cameras (three made possible by the National Oceanic nearly 50 miles of the Swatara Creek in each county) in known flood hazard and Atmospheric Administration’s from the mouth at Middletown to locations identified by local emergency Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service. near Pine Grove in Schuylkill County, management officials. The cameras The inundation maps are being Pennsylvania. The bathymetric data provide real-time observations of produced through a partnership with is needed to support a detailed flood on-the-ground conditions and facilitate the Pennsylvania Silver Jackets Program, study being undertaken by USACE an early warning of flood conditions. an interagency team dedicated to for the Federal Emergency Management Camera footage can be viewed at working collaboratively to reduce flood Agency. The study will ultimately www.srbc.net/planning/stagecam.html. risk across the Commonwealth. provide background data needed to The project was supported by a The online flood inundation maps will produce flood stage-based inundation grant from the Federal Emergency allow users to zoom into an area of maps for Swatara Creek. Management Agency, Hazard Mitigation interest to view the extent of flooding Grant Program. associated with a predicted flood stage. The maps will be available for the Susquehanna River at Sunbury, Bloomsburg, Danville, and Wilkes-Barre. Each of these locations will have an associated map library that depicts the expected area and depth of flooding at one-foot stage intervals. The maps will be available in the summer of 2018.
Chiques Creek floods Elizabethtown Road in Lancaster County as captured by the camera on April 6, 2017. Inundation map for Jersey Shore, PA. Light blue areas indicate possible water levels at flood stage.
8 Annual Report 2017 Susquehanna River Basin Commission 9 TheAMERICAN EEL— a STORY of RECOVERY?
The American eel was once one of the most abundant fish in the Susquehanna River. More than a million pounds per year were harvested before the Conowingo Dam, located in Maryland, was constructed in the late 1920s. While eels can crawl around or over a small dam or other obstacle, the 94-foot dam has been insurmount- able. However, the eel population is making a comeback thanks to the efforts of the Susquehanna River Anadromous Fish Restoration Cooperative, of which the Commission is an active partner.
Beginning in 2008, the U.S. Fish and the number of invasive rusty crayfish. Wildlife Service (USFWS) began Eels may also boost the populations of collecting juvenile eels at the base of eastern elliptio mussels, as mussel larvae Conowingo Dam, then transporting temporarily attach to eels before they and releasing them upstream in the drop off and mature. Mussels provide a lower portion of the Basin. Luckily, the powerful water-filtering capacity in Biologist Aaron Henning weighing and eels are easy to catch. Biologists simply river systems. measuring an American eel recaptured at North Branch Muddy Creek, York run a trickle of water down the rocky County, PA. river slopes below the dam, and the eels Eels are starting to appear throughout follow the water, slithering several feet the Basin. They have been captured at up a plastic conduit into holding tanks, the Colliersville Dam above Oneonta, where they await their ride upstream. New York (more than 400 river miles from Conowingo Dam) and near Since 2005, more than one million Hornell, New York. Anglers and biologists juvenile American eels have been have reported adult eels in the Juniata captured and stocked in the Basin. River, West Branch Susquehanna, Eels remain in the river for 10 to 20 Chemung River, and North Branch years before returning to the ocean to (mainstem) of the Susquehanna. American eel (Anguilla rostrata) spawn, making it easier to rebuild A large population of American eel is captured in North Branch Muddy Creek, their populations. also present in the Pine Creek watershed York County, PA. due to a prior stocking experiment by The Commission monitors three streams the USFWS. in the Basin where eels have been experimentally stocked to evaluate the In 2017, through negotiations with impact of their return on the aquatic Exelon, owner of the Conowingo Dam, community. More than 45,000 eels the company assumed the operation were stocked throughout these streams in of an eel ramp and a long-term trap and 2016 and 2017. Commission biologists transport initiative that is showing are monitoring changes to river systems great promise for the American eel’s as a result of a growing eel population. sustained recovery. A predator species, eels may help reduce
Susquehanna River Basin Commission 9 PROTECTING AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS through COMPLIANCE
Discontinuance of a required cold water In order to maintain and enforce the Commission’s regulations release from the dam (above) caused and permit conditions, a dedicated Compliance staff is in place to impacts to Stafford Meadow Brook’s conduct random and routine inspections and audits, respond downstream aquatic community, which to complaints, and contact facilities that may need to apply for included native brook trout. approval of their water usage. An inspection by the Commission’s Compliance staff highlights the importance of ensuring that permit requirements are followed in order to protect the Basin’s aquatic ecosystems.
10 Annual Report 2017 Susquehanna River Basin Commission 11 Brook trout sampling on Stafford Meadow Brook.
A nine-acre pond was constructed on brook trout in this section, as well as Stafford Meadow Brook in Lackawanna existing abundant populations upstream County, Pennsylvania, in the mid of the dam, were strong evidence to late 1800s to serve as a public water that the discontinued cold water release supply, taking advantage of the excep- had resulted in ecological harm to tional quality of the water. Currently, the stream. the pond is used for snow making and other commercial purposes. As part Following corrective action that dictated of the current owner’s water withdrawal the release of water again, Commission permit, a continuous release of water scientists conducted additional surveys from the pond is to be maintained to in the spring of 2017 and found that protect the naturally reproducing trout some recovery of the aquatic ecosystem downstream. However, Compliance had already started to naturally occur The re-established water release supporting staff discovered that the critical water downstream of the dam. The brook the recovering trout population. release intended to protect the Stafford trout population appears to be moving Meadow Brook had not been made back to the degraded stream as their for two years, severely impacting the food supply recovers, which is composed brook trout population. primarily of habitat-sensitive aquatic insects such as mayflies and stoneflies. Subsequent investigation by Commission Continuous instream monitoring scientists showed that brook trout equipment was also installed and will were absent downstream of the dam track improving water quality conditions and the aquatic community overall was needed for the full recovery of Stafford degraded. The historic presence of Meadow Brook’s trout population.
Susquehanna River Basin Commission 11 SUSQUEHANNA RIVER BASIN COMMISSION FISCAL YEAR 2017 FINANCIAL SUMMARY
Fiscal Year 2017 Total 7% Federal & State REVENUE Member Jurisdictions Federal & State Member Jurisdictions $ 1,078,000 Other Grants and Projects $ 2,094,585 13% 7% Grants & Projects Regulatory Fees $ 4,635,395 22% Investment Income Consumptive Use Fees $ 3,709,522 28% Investment Income $ 3,682,484 Regulatory Fees 23% Other $ 1,169,850 Consumptive Use Fees
TOTAL $ 16,369,836
2% Sustainable Water EXPENDITURES Resources Fund Water Supply $ 2,976,480 4% Fiscal Stabilization Fund 3% Capital Outlay Water Quality $ 2,638,748
Regulatory $ 4,214,202 18% Coordination, Public Information, and Planning $ 347,261 Water Supply 24% Data, GIS, and Administration $ 868,861 Water Management 16% Water Management Fund $ 3,910,738 Fund Water Quality
Sustainable Water Resources Fund $ 293,805 26% Fiscal Stabilization Fund $ 707,736 Regulatory
Capital Outlay $ 412,005
TOTAL $ 16,369,836
2% Coordination, Public Information, & Planning 5% Data, GIS, and Administration
12 Annual Report 2017 2017 ANNUAL EXCELLENCE AWARD
Ava Stoops Administrative Specialist
Ava has been a valuable team player for the 2017 QUARTER LY Commission since beginning her tenure in 2006. SPOTLIGHT AWARD
She supports both management and technical FIRST QUARTER staff by covering a wide range of administrative tasks Hilary Hollier and does so with great poise and professionalism. Administrative Specialist Among her many accomplishments included SECOND QUARTER Graham Markowitz supporting a busy year for the Public Water Supply Hydrologist Assistance Program workshops where she organized THIRD QUARTER logistics and made sure everything ran smoothly. Dawn Hintz The Commission received very positive reviews Environmental Scientist/Database Analyst about the workshops, and much of that had FOURTH QUARTER to do with Ava’s organization and customer service Gordon Lauger Manager, Accounting skills. She is a dedicated employee and handles and Donna Heiser difficult situations with ease and a sense of humor. Accounting Assistant Susquehanna River Basin Commission 4423 N. Front Street Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17110 (717) 238-0423 srbc.net