HARRISBURG PATRIOT-NEWS Editorial: It’s encouraging to see state agencies and the U.S. Geological Survey working together to gather data to diagnosis the river’s “illness.” Ideally, DEP will go one step further and make it a priority in the next fiscal year to work on — and fund — solutions. There will be costs, but delaying action for too long will cost more later.
The timing is key for action because of Marcellus Shale drilling and the Chesapeake Bay issues. Some of the Susquehanna River’s tributaries are in drilling areas. The river ultimately flows into the Chesapeake Bay, which is experiencing its own problems that some are blaming on upriver actions. The more Pennsylvania knows about the health of the river now, the better off the state will be to address these other concerns as they arise.
The Fish and Boat Commission is clear the river’s bass issues are not related to Marcellus activities. The spots on the bass and the lesions began showing up about 2005, and the bass population has been stagnating since about 2000. This is well before shale drilling… (more)
