Feds won't call Susquehanna River impaired despite drastic decline in smallmouth bass

LANCASTERONLINE
The federal government has refused to overrule Pennsylvania officials and declare the Lower Susquehanna River impaired.

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, the private Chesapeake Bay Foundation and some environmental groups and anglers had implored the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to go over the head of the state Department of Environmental Protection and make the impairment listing, citing a drastic decline in the river's prized game fish, the smallmouth bass.

Such a listing would force the state to draw up a cleanup plan for the river.

But EPA accepted DEP's list of 7,009 impaired waters, which does not include the Susquehanna River.

However, apparently reacting to feedback from EPA and others, DEP changed its final listing on the Susquehanna's status.

DEP's original draft list had designated a 100-mile section of the Susquehanna, including Lancaster County's portion, as "unimpaired." The final list submitted to EPA changed the listing to say there was insufficient water-quality data to make an impairment determination.

MORE HERE:
http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/848865_Feds-won-t-call-Susquehanna-River-impaired-despite-drastic-decline-in-smallmouth-bass.html