# tappen ????????????



## mrtwister_jbo (Apr 7, 2004)

what is that nasty stuff comeing out of the spillway?????????????
kind of like a grey or off white color water ????????an man o man stinking up the place real bad???????
twister


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## Corey (Apr 5, 2004)

Dams, like Tappan Dam & Clendenning for example, draw water from below the thermocline. The water down there is low on oxygen with a high concentration of hydrogen sulfide. When the water comes out through the spillway there is a chemical transfer; the water takes on oxygen and the hydrogen sulfide is released into the air. This is what you smell. One of the things that the proposed MWCD assessment is supposed to fund is a change in the dams to enable them to draw water from more than one level to help address this problem. Why the MWCD is involved when this has always been the province of the Army Corps of Engineers is anybodys guess. Another can of worms entirely, lol.


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## mrtwister_jbo (Apr 7, 2004)

thxs jim,
i know it stinks lol lol
twister


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## KATKING (Jun 10, 2006)

does it hurt the fish in anyway?


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## saugeyeslayer1 (Oct 9, 2004)

Great Question KATKING.I myself have wondered that too.Does anyone know any data on this?


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## Tusc.RiverRafter05 (Mar 22, 2005)

I don't have any data on whether the fish are actually harmed, but I have talked directly to several people involved in the electroshocking of MWCD spillways over the past few years, and they have repeatedly told me that there are PLENTY of fish left in those spillways. I recall one of them talking to me specifically about Tappan Lake's spillway in the summer of last year. He said that the number of crappie, catfish, and saugeye was very impressive. And this is coming from a guy who has been electroshocking for a long time.

I really don't know how healthy those particular fish were, but I would guess that if they chose to inhabit that particularly smelly and off-color stretch of water, then the hydrogen sulfide must not bother them too much. But that's just a guess! I would certainly love to see some real data on the subject.


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## firetiger (Jul 24, 2004)

last year it was the same way until about the first of october. must have to do with the warm water temps. October the water was clear greenish color.


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## toboso (Apr 14, 2004)

The sulfide is a result of bacterial conversion of sulfate to sulfide. Don't be alarmed, though. This is part of the normal process of biological process. Sulfate-reducing bacteria are essential in the exchange of nutrients in the food web.

There are many types of bacteria that play special roles in nature. Some specialize in converting sulfur, phosphorous, nitrogen, and iron. If you have well water, look in the toilet tank. The brown slimy stuff is the result of iron-reducing bacteria. Without a long story, this is a (hopefully) quick example that you can see with your own eyes. My apologies to those who have municipal water.


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