And it begins: "The Susquehanna is disgusting!" (Lancaster: living, dangerous)

[Magritte25]

Man drowns after saving two girls in Susquehanna River; body found - News - The Times-Tribune

I suppose this is related to Dan's thread, but I thought I'd start my own in light of the incident that took place on the fourth of July.

Since the news broke, I've read and heard many people angrily saying no one should be in the river ever. They say the river is disgusting, filled with excrement and too dangerous.

What are your thoughts?

[Mr Yuk]

Well I will agree its too disgusting to SWIM in....I can't believe anyone would swim in the river. I would never go in the river unless it was in a boat.

[thecoalman]

The deluge of crap from the recent flood aside the river is quite clean, largest contributor to pollution is agriculture. The high nitrogen levels are not healthy and really a great concern for the Chesapeake too. There is not a whole lot of industrial discharge going into it at least from here to the NY border. While I'm sure a lot sewage makes it into the river it's pretty minimal. The orange you see along the Pittston side is from oxidation and sulfur from mine run off. While it looks bad, smells bad, isn't good for the aquatic life...... it's not a health risk.


I can't say I have ever swam in this area but I've been wading in it while fishing since I was young. I've been swimming in it on Myo Beach near Meshoppen(or Mayo depending on who you're arguing with and what map you're looking at) since I was kid. I haven't grown any third eyes. I've even tried a clam once from the river that was picked far up the river, tasted like nothing and kind of pointless.

Having said that I couldn't guarantee there is no health risks specially for these kids that have grown up with anti-bacterial everything but the last thing we need is bunch of nanny statists pushing for laws restricting access to the river, don't like it, don't go in it.

[thecoalman]

Originally Posted by thecoalman

The high nitrogen levels are not healthy........ .

Just to clarify, it's not healthy for the river or the Chesapeake. It's inconsequential to human health.

[Magritte25]

I think people are saying to stay out of the river completely; not even for fishing. That seems overkill to me.

[Mike_by_Cedar]

Stay out of the river for fishing? Nah, after seeing the size of the fish weluvpa had caught, I got on the horn with some friends and we're hoping to get out on the river this week! I wouldn't swim in it though.

[weluvpa]

I'm in the river all the time in Wyoming County, its clean and refreshing after spending the day in the hot sun in a kayak.

What people don't understand is that the river is a living breathing animal that will and does kill every single year. Its has under-toe just like the ocean and the current you see on the surface is vastly different then the current 3ft down and even the bottom current. Toss in rocks and holes and its a death trap if you are not aware of what your dealing with.

You can't beat, swim against or try to win, you have to know how to deal with it and use it your advantage in a situation where you are caught in the current.

I'm sure this guy exhausted himself trying to save those girls and then tried to fight the river and it won and will every time. Its a shame, but people are just not aware of the dangers that lie within when they go in the river.

As far as I'm concerned the more people that think its disgusting is just that many more people I don't have to deal with on the river..

[Chefkey]

Profoundly sad news on the health of the Lower Susquehanna River from Lancasteronline.
Originally Published Feb 13, 2012
By AD CRABLE, Outdoor Trails Staff Writer

“For seven years now, the litany of diseased, intersex smallmouth bass and sudden fish kills on the Lower Susquehanna River has alarmed anyone who fishes or cares about the mighty river. Alas, it’s getting worse.

Fishing in the warm-water discharge area near the Brunner Island power plant in December, 28-year-old Joe Raymond caught about 15 adult smallmouths with the dreaded sores and lesions that have become so common on juvenile bass.
That’s significant because, until now, the die-offs and bacterial infections that befell stressed fish had only been observed in juvenile smallmouths, except for a few isolated adults.”

[weluvpa]

Yes, but that is currently limited to lower Susquehanna south of Subury. The PFBC also has a no bass fishing regulation in anyway at all from May 1 to June 15 in place South of Sunbury to help protect the fish from unneeded pressure during the spawn. It was supposed to be fro. April 15th, but they received a lot of pressure to move the date.

The bass are an immediate catch and release the rest of the year in that are soith of Sunbury, but only C&R on the North Branch from April 15th to June 15 give or take.