Aquetong Creek Update

A group of chapter members have begun gathering information and planning to make stream improvements to support and enhance the brook trout population that we introduced to the creek a few years ago. We are working with PFBC and partnering with Aquetong Watershed Association (AWA) and Solebury Township. The engineering firm Princeton Hydro was contracted by Solebury monitor the stream and design and implement stream improvements in the section immediately above the location of the former dam. As part of the work, they surveyed the trout population from 2017 to 2022. The population seemed to be increasing and reached a peak in 2021, but dropped dramatically in 2022. This spurred us to form the committee and re-engage in supporting and developing this unique resource. There are no obvious changes to the creek that might explain the sudden change. The AWA has been monitoring stream conditions and have seen nothing that changed in that time period. (Princeton Hydro also has measured various water quality parameters and found nothing changing to any significant degree.) Also, we are investigating why trout seem to be confined to the park reach of the stream. PFBC and Princeton Hydro both did electro-fishing surveys of the stream multiple times and found basically no trout downstream from the park. There are no obvious reasons why this might be the case.
We have been working with the PFBC stream habitat specialist and local fisheries biologist to understand the current situation and how we might improve it. We are in the midst of this investigation and are beginning to make a plan for how to move ahead. If you would like to help with this effort, contact Kevin Randall at k.randall@ieee.org

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