What made the lower river change?

[Hopper]

My Question: as a young man and teenager, I used to catch trout in the Morgan Falls stretch of the Hooch all year. I could go in the hottest days of summer and find rising fish and hatches every day. They would hold over as well and some were HUGE. What event or events led to the waters' change and warmup that has caused this section of the river to only hold fish during the cooler months? Also, is there any thing that could bring back year-round holdover ability to the lower Hooch.
Thanks--Hopper

[Windknot]

Hopper,

The official explanation has been issued many times, but I couldn't find one in a quick Search.

Basically, due to development along the river's shores & tributaries and the tremendous increase in pavement, the water receives a temperature "spike" during hot summer rains. Enough to stress and kill trout.

There are many of us who remember the incredible fishery that used to exist there. Among ourselves, we also mention the huge build-up of silt above Morgan Falls dam and the stocking of stripers in West Point.

Enjoy the memories. Folks who frequent the Island Ford area usually post water temps in the summer, since that area is showing more warmth than in the past. The magic continues.
Don

[This message has been edited by Windknot (edited 11-19-2001).]

[Drifter]

asphalt

[Gray ghost]

Greed and poor planing.

[Hopper]

It's hard to beleive that development did it in.. We aren't talking about gwinett or one of our other fast growing areas, the river corridor was pretty much always developed.
My personal opinion puts more of the blame on the silt in Bull Sluice "Lake". The lake is really not one-but more of a wide shallow place where I think the water has a perfect place to warm up.
Either way some of our younger anglers don't know what they are missing-- PICKY large browns in slow water in those weed bed channels. I miss it terribly but I do love the DH-- Great idea-- Thank you DNR

[GUTHOOKED]

The majority of that silt is coming from development in Cobb, Gwinnett, and Fulton counties. I have seen first-hand 6" of silt on the roads of new subdivisions after only moderate rains. It seems that this is generally cleaned up by removing the silt-blockers from the storm drains and washing the silt down with water from a fire hydrant. Only after this is done are the faulty silt fences repaired (maybe). I have witnessed this many times. I'm sure that this practice must violate a number of laws, but I haven't been able to find a number to call where anybody cared. After calling 3 or 4 offices and getting referred to another, I just give up. Anybody got a number you can call to report these people?

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"A good gamefish is too valuable to be caught only once," - Lee Wulff

[Windknot]

In Tuesday’s AJC, Gwinnett Section, they reported that Gwinnett Co. officials are asking the legislature to add some power to the new erosion controls. Seems a developer just goes to Recorder’s Court (Small Claims Court) for a slap on the wrist. Gwinnett Co. wants a stop-work order to be issued with the citation. Also wanted certification for those involved with silt/runoff control systems.

Details in the top half of:
http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/epaper/editions/tuesday/gwinnett_b39f6f1e2700f09c0096.html

I think a tip o' the cap is in order for Gwinnett Co.

[chuckwagon]

you need to call the city of alpharetta. they will and do inforce the silt fence issue and i have seen them shut down million dollar const. site in order to clean up these messes. of course the city of alpharetta has no borders on the river. they do however have big creek running into the river. the problems aren't on the river. its the developments 15 or 30 miles away that are creating the problems. just think of all those new houses everyone is buying within 30 miles of the river corrider. then you upset that topsoil and run it into your nearby creek that inturns runs into its nearby creek that inturn runs into the river. when you see a good rain and the river turns orange. thats your development silt running into the river. red clay. nothing we can do about it except curb our development. no silt fence will stop it! anyway call the city of alpharetta engineering department. they care! and will get you to the right people in other city or county authorities.

[Hopper]

Well I got some news for yall, it's not the lower river only that's getting silted in.. I recently went back to Jones Bridge after a few years hiatus and boy is it starting to fill in there as well. And this is after how many years of drought? What if we had some real rainy years? The situation would be greatly accelerated. I think with our naturally fine particled soil (clay) we have to really enforce whatever laws we have because the growth of metro Atlanta is not slowing down.

[GUTHOOKED]

Hopper's right. I have sunk to my waist in silt as far up as Hwy 20. Is it possible that the lighter dam releases the last few years are contributing to this? It seems to me that higher flows from the dam would wash alot of the silt further down. I know, this only moves the problem further downriver, but it seems like it would be less harmful to West Point Lake than it is to the river.

[Hopper]

Guthooked, the tribs are really the silt bringers. Higher flows may make a few more beaches and islands kinda like the big Glen Canyon releases of a couple of years ago.

[fishnpreacher]

Don't feel too bad guys. Some of the coves on Hartwell lake are silting up, blocking access to private docks and property. Since its a COE lake you have to jump through numerous hoops and blow all the whistles just to find someone who will tell you who to talk to. Siltation is a big problem in lakes too.

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I can do all things through Christ <bill><