MCHENRY — The Deep Creek Policy and Review Board is hoping to come to a mutually agreeable decision with property owners and whitewater users on the low water levels in Deep Creek Lake, according to David Myerberg, chairman of the board.

“We plan to listen to people who use water for a variety of reasons and hope to work with everyone concerned,” said Myerberg.

Sen. George Edwards, who is a nonvoting member of the board, echoes Myerberg’s sentiments.

We are going to have a more open line of communication with stakeholders who use the lake, look at changes and continue to monitor their concerns to see if we can work something out,” said Edwards.

Friendsville Councilman Jess Whittemore is glad there will be an open dialogue.

“I’m looking forward to better dialogue with the Policy and Review Board. They have suggested a special committee for a better dialogue. I hope it works,” said Whittemore. “I don’t know what we are going to talk about since they want to take water from the town of Friendsville and I want to keep it. I don’t like fighting and the town doesn’t like fighting. I hope it gets better.”

The two main groups concerned with the lake levels are the Deep Creek Lake boat and dock owners and the town of Friendsville, which has about nine commercial whitewater outfitters and various other businesses that thrive on visitors to the Youghiogheny River.

“The Youghiogheny is one of the top 10 rivers in the world,” said Whittemore. “The whitewater release enables anybody and everybody to run that beautiful river.”

Without the whitewater release and commercial outfitters, the river can’t be used by kayakers, according to Whittemore.

 On a Friday and Saturday during whitewater releases, the town of Friendsville sees about 120 cars from people who travel to use the river. A property owner who wishes to remain anonymous recently donated four acres to the town of Friendsville, and with the aid of state grant money the town hopes to turn it into a parking lot for visitors who use the river, said Whittemore.

The dock owners started a petition to encourage Brookfield Power to release water more gradually in fall for whitewater rafting and fishing on the Youghiogheny River, so they can use their boats into October.  

“We pay DNR (Maryland Department of Natural Resources) annual dock fees, we pay state registration fees for our boats and licensing fees to fish,” states the Save Deep Creek website. “Through our boating and fishing on the lake, we support the businesses in the local community. We know we bring more income into the local community than the whitewater rafters and trout fishermen.”

The PRB suggested in a September letter to the Maryland Department of the Environment that the whitewater releases revert to their pre-2007 schedule. The board suggested that the prescribed releases in the Brookfield operating permit could remain as written with no negative consequences if the upper and lower rule bands that govern the lake were extended from the June 1 levels to Sept. 1. The MDE considers ideal lake levels to be above 2,458 elevation from June to September.

The board also suggested that the restocking of the trout below the dam be re-examined due to the frequent temperature enhancement releases.

“Halting the restocking of fish below the dam would allow MDE to discontinue the requirement that the lake be lowered to keep those fish alive,” wrote Myerberg in the letter to the MDE.

Whittemore agrees that the dam releases have to be reduced to make the lake levels higher, but is not in favor of cutting back on whitewater releases.

In order to address the lake levels, the MDE revised the Brookfield Power permit in June and had decided not to make any further changes to the permit.

“We have concluded that it is not necessary or appropriate to reconsider the Brookfield Power permit at this time and we are confident that the existing permit is fair and balanced,” writes Robert Summers, secretary for MDE. “MDE is not planning to modify the permit prior to its expiration in 2019.”

Also according to the letter, MDE plans on maintaining the trout fishery on the river.

The PRB and MDE disagree over whether the use of the lake is threatened.

“It is unacceptable for MDE, DNR and Brookfield to continue to operate in a business-as-usual manner when the use of the lake continues to be threatened,” said Myerberg in the letter to MDE.

In response to Myerberg, Summers writes, “MDE does not agree with your statement that the use of the lake continues to be threatened. Surveys by DNR do not document any evidence of a decline in boating activity.”

Whittemore is happy with the letter from the DNR to the PRB but is doubtful that it will do anything to stop the PRB from getting higher lake levels.

“Getting the amount of water that they suggest would have very substantial negative effects on Friendsville’s economy, not to mention severely limiting and or ecologically destroying the river’s natural resources,” said Whittemore.

Contact Elaine Blaisdell at eblaisdell@times-news.com.