When last we left them, the Department of Environmental Protection and the Fish and Boat Commission were publicly sparring over the definition of "impaired."
Some things just don't change. It seems the two state agencies are still playing in the kiddie river.
A smallmouth bass collected from the Susquehanna River near Selinsgrove displays the black spots that have anglers concerned.
Commission Executive Director John Arwary has spent almost a year calling for DEP to declare 98 miles of the lower Susquehanna River impaired under the Federal Clean Water Act.
He points to the plunging population of smallmouth bass in the river from Sunbury to the Holtwood Dam as his evidence.
During that time, DEP Secretary Mike Krancer has said the commission's concerns — young-of-year die offs, lesions on adult bass and inter-sexing of the species — are real and being actively studied by DEP experts.
But, Krancer also has been quick to add that "impaired" has a legal definition under the Clean Water Act. At this point, the Susquehanna does not reach that definition, he has said.
DEP re-affirmed its position this month, when it filed its biannual report to the federal government on the state's waterways. It did not ask the federal government to declare the Susquehanna impaired.
The two sides continue to largely talk past one another.
"We certainly hear what the anglers are saying," Krancer said. "We certainly hear what Fish and Boat is saying. But as I've tried to explain to (Arway) and the public, putting a river or a body of water on the (impaired list) doesn't all of a suddenly magically address the issues. First we have to find out what the issues are … we don't know that."
In an effort to solve the problem — an effort Krancer believed the commission would embrace — DEP announced Tuesday that it appointed biologist Josh Lookenbill as its Susquehanna River coordinator.
DEP created the position to gather all of the research its scientists and others were collecting about the river and identify why smallmouth bass are dying. Early in his career, Lookenbill worked for the commission and spent last summer leading DEP's Susquehanna River water quality assessment sampling program.
Last year, DEP took samples from 30 spots along the river on 187 days, a practice it will continue.
The commission appreciates "the fact that (DEP is) identifying one individual to be the point person on this issue," spokesman Eric Levis said in an email.
But the commission's appreciation appears to stop there.
At least that's the impression one gets reading the statement Arway issued Tuesday afternoon, blasting DEP's decision to not declare the river as impaired and questioned its approach to research:
"DEP affirms that their decision is 'firmly grounded in sound science' but has been unwilling to openly reveal the science that guides them to the decision not to list the river as impaired. The PFBC has been fully transparent with its information about every study that we and others have done over the course of the past 20 years. All that we ask is for DEP to open their files in much the same way since Aristotle defined science as the body of reliable knowledge that can be logically and rationally explained. It therefore involves the totality of evidence and the discussion cannot continue unless DEP is forthcoming with their data."
In response, DEP spokesman Kevin Sunday said: "We’ve been as responsive to their requests as we can when they are specific about what they’re asking for.
"We will continue to work with and share our data with Director Arway, the Fish and Boat Commissioners and staff, as well as USGS and SRBC, and expect they will also continue to share their data with all involved ... While there has not been a demonstrated cause and effect between water quality and the issues facing the bass, finding the answer is a priority."
Appointing a river coordinator and increasing research actually will do more to benefit the river than declaring it impaired, Krancer said, since it allows DEP to take a "broader" approach to finding out what is wrong with the river.
Arway did not address that notion. He did, however, say "to refuse to accept and recognize (the collapse of the smallmouth bass population) suggests that other factors associated with these designations may drive the decision not to list."
Further, Arway encouraged people to write their representatives in Congress on the issue.
"We are confident in the process and conclusions of our technical experts and we expect that EPA will agree," Sunday, the DEP spokesman, said. "Our report’s comment and response document includes details on how we developed this report and the science behind it, and we are happy to discuss our process."
The Chesapeake Bay Foundation also wants a section of the river declared impaired.
In its statement Tuesday, the foundation said: "According to DEP’s newest report on the health of our waters, Pennsylvania already has nearly 16,500 miles of waters that do not meet standards and are impaired.
"Listing the lower portion of the River would have galvanized state, federal, academic, and nonprofit resources to study the problem and devise a detailed plan to fix it."
That's the wrong reason to declare a river impaired, Krancer said.
"If it boils down to put it on the (impaired) list for publicity, and you think publicity is going to do anything about the river, I would beg to differ," Krancer said. "I think what's going to do something about the river is what DEP and our stakeholders and our partners are going to do about it."