Angler researches lowering lakes from the bottom to cool waters and help trout survive

An avid angler believes allowing more water to be released from the bottom of lakes will give coldwater fish like trout a better chance to survive the hot summer months.

“I would notice that Laurel Hill Creek would super heat in the really warm months of summer,” said John MacDonald, 66, of Rockwood, Somerset County. 

“The trout would suffer horribly, many would die and the ones that didn’t, took refuge downstream and left the area.”

In the heat of the summer, MacDonald would wear snorkeling gear and swim down the creek looking for fish.

“I noticed they would hide in the deeper pools,” he said, “and I would find a cold water spring down there, that they were all huddled up against.”

Ongoing research

About five years ago, he approached Camp Soles, a nearby children’s camp, about opening their lake’s bottom drain pipe to release some of the colder water to see how that would impact the temperature of the water flowing downstream. The camp’s 18-acre lake flows into Lost Run and then into Laurel Hill Creek.

“We had to make sure that at all times that water flowed over the top for the health of the lake,” he said. “We had to find a blending point which let water over the top, but enough cold water off the bottom to bring (the temperature) down,” he said.

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He started measuring the temperature of the water at several locations, including in Lost Run before it reached the lake, in the lake itself and then several spots down stream. 

During the heat of the summer, he said water coming into the lake would be below 70 degrees. The water flowing over the spillway would oftentimes be 80 degrees or more and the water below where the spillway and bottom pipe blend in Lost Run would be back down to below 70.

“We are able to get to the same temperature below the dam as it was coming into the lake,” he said “We were actually able to get to that same point, as though the dam wasn’t there,” he said.

Susan Fletcher, president of the Friends of Camp Soles board of directors, has been observing MacDonald’s efforts.

“It’s not only that the fish are more vigorous and survive better, but there’s something about what they feed on that has improved,” she said.

Fletcher said MacDonald is a friend of the camp and they appreciate his efforts.

“He’s clearly interested in the environment and when you have a summer camp, that’s what you want the kids to do, is to appreciate the natural world,” she said.

She said the dam was named Lake Tris for a descendant of the camp’s founders. She said there are online references to the waterway that have it also spelled as Lake Triss. “It’s hard to get that changed,” she said.

“One of the most popular things in recent years has been fishing,” she said about the campers enjoying the lake to catch catfish, bass and a variety of panfish.

“We love that John has taken an interest and is keeping (the lake) healthy. Because one of my favorite sayings is, when you tug at one thing in nature, you find it attached to the rest of the world.”

This year, MacDonald is continuing his research with recording temperatures and studying the ratio of water coming over the spillway with the water being released from the bottom of the lake. He also wants to measure water volume, too.

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“Once I establish the ratio of what is needed, other lakes with a spillway and bottom pipe, can experiment with how far to open the pipe each year,” he said about making it a simple process for people to mimic or at least try. 

He said he’s not changing the amount of water being released, but blending the two sources of water discharge.

With the help of Camp Soles, he said the goal is to, “Someday find a very simple solution for these types of lakes to bring the water temperature down below 70, and protect our cold water heritage.”

MacDonald isn’t officially trained to study waterways, but said he’s an avid sportsman who wants to protect the fishery. He’s hoping his research can be used by state agencies and private lake owners “for the betterment of our cold-water heritage.” 

State agency response

Lakes in Pennsylvania are managed by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

Lauren Camarda, regional communications manager for the DEP, said, “A cold water, low-level discharge is not always required or beneficial, but many dams have been retrofitted with cold water releases over the years. While there could be benefits from discharging from the bottom, it could have the unintended consequence of releasing anoxic water (water with low levels of dissolved oxygen that fish need), sediment that can pollute the water downstream, or entrapping or impinging fish in the lake.”

If the lake has to retrofit its pipes on the bottom of a lake it can be cost prohibitive based on what is needed.

“Simply ‘cracking open’ the low-level valve is generally not a viable solution as high velocity flow could be detrimental to the valve and debris may lodge in the valve preventing it from being able to shut,” she said through an email. “If a dam owner wants to change normal operation of the pool level, a permit is required from DEP. DEP’s division of dam safety consults with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission regarding situations where a cold-water release requirement may be warranted. Ultimately, this idea may have merit in certain situations but must be approached on a case specific-basis and in concert with DEP review to ensure that it is in fact beneficial for aquatic life downstream. DEP encourages dam owners that are interested in this to contact DEP to determine if it is something that could work for them.”

Mike Parker, communications director for the Fish and Boat Commission agreed that colder water may help trout survive the summer months, but referred questions about lowering lakes to achieve that to the DEP.

 Brian Whipkey is the outdoors columnist for USA TODAY Network sites in Pennsylvania. Contact him at bwhipkey@gannett.com and sign up for our weekly Go Outdoors PA newsletter email on this website’s homepage under your login name. Follow him on Facebook @whipkeyoutdoors, and Instagram at whipkeyoutdoors.