Snow/Freshwater/Spring/Effects

[BILL H]

Right now, I don't think any one of us can make an accurate prediction of what is going to happen. It depends on air temperature, rainfall amounts, timing, and temporal distriution across much of the Susquehanna watershed. If I could predict that accurately a couple of months out, I would have skills that would make me a rich man. What we can be sure of is that the upper Bay will have temperatures, sediment loads, and water quality that are either average or above or below average over the next couple of months, years, or decades.

Conowingo Dam has been benefiting the water quality of the upper Bay ever since it was built . Unfortunately, at some point in the very near future, it will reach its maximum sediment storage capacity and then we will see water quality in the upper Bay become more variable and degraded as it responds to storm-generated sediment loads from the agricultural areas of Pennsylvania.

[crabby and son]

With all the melting snow will also come loads of road salt..........Gary

[reds]

The runoff, which includes nitrogen and phosphorus, will be tremendous.

The watershed starts up around Cooperstown New York, Which is about 300 miles north of the head of the Chesapeake.

Look for a late start to crabbing, as well as rockfishing, due to low water temperatures. The slower the melt, the later the start.

[B-Faithful]

magothy river is nearly ice all the way across

[5th Tuition]

I think the fishing is going to be so good, that we will only have to troll six lines, barbless, and with no stingers. 5th (Marty)

[garlien]

With the amount of snow we are getting...I would not be surprised to see the Stripers return on late June and the first crabs in August !

Good point about salt...Saw in the MAryland Gazette that AA county has already dropped at least 5,000 tons of salt from last weekends storm alone....

Cold temps, tons of runoff, maybe last year was our lucky year....