River management plan : Allegheny National Wild and Scenic River : Warren, Forest, and Venango Counties, Pennsylvania

316 Pages·1996·24.5 MB·English

by  United States. Forest Service

Historic, Archive Document
Do not assume content reflects current
scientific knowledge, policies, or practices.

. A5R58
1996
River Management Plan
ALLEGHENY NATIONAL
WILD AND SCENIC RIVER
Warren, Forest and Venango Counties, Pennsylvania
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Prepared by the
Allegheny National Forest
USD A
September, 1996

PREFACE
The purpose of this Allegheny River Management Plan is to provide broad
programmatic direction for the three sections of the Allegheny River
designated as components of the National Wild and Scenic River System.
The U.S. Forest Service has been designated as managing agency for the
river. As such, the Forest Service has direct authority only over federal
lands administered by the Forest Service. The Forest Service has no
authority over other federal, state, municipal or private lands.
Besides specific standards and guidelines applicable to federal lands, this
Plan provides broad local land management and zoning guidelines, which
can be used by local municipalities to "tailor make" conservation plans
which best suit the needs of individual communities while providing
protection of river resources.
Current land uses of private land are not changed by the river designation.
The river was designated with those uses in place, and therefore, they
should not change because of designation. Also the designation does not
change laws that regulate the use of private lands within the river corridor.
Activities on private lands continue to be subject to existing federal, state
and local laws and regulations. Prior to initiating any new activities within
the river corridor, landowners should check with appropriate authorities
at the local, state and federal level. Private landowners are encouraged,
not mandated by the Forest Service, to consider the standards and
guidelines set forth in this document wrhen planning activities within the
river corridor. _
Through the continued cooperation of federal, state, and local agencies,
local business and industry, and private citizens and organizations, the
management of the Allegheny River and it's adjacent corridor should
provide for the continued existence of this special resource for generations
to come.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION . 1
THE RIVER . 1
1- Allegheny River Watershed.1
2. Kinzua Dam .1
3. Allegheny Wild and Scenic River .1
ESTABLISHMENT HISTORY.2
1. Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.'.2
2. Public Law 102-271 .2
3. Management Direction .2
PLANNING PROCESS. 2
1. Advisory Councils . . ..2
2. Public Involvement.2
3. Management Plan . . ..5
a. Corridor Designation (5); b. Managing Authority (7); c. Federal/Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania/Local Government Roles (7); d. Relationship to the Allegheny National Forest
Land and Resource Management Plan (7); e. Relationship to Other Management Plans (8)
ENVIRONMENT.9
ECOLOGICAL PATTERNS AND PROCESSES.9
PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT.,.11
GEOLOGY . 11
ENERGY MINERALS. 11
SAND AND GRAVEL . 11
SOILS. 12
WATER ..•. 12
Water Flow and Water Levels (12); Water Quality (12)
RIPARIAN ZONE. 13
VISUAL . 14
BIOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT. 14
VEGETATION . 14
WILDLIFE HABITAT.'.•. 17
Riparian/Wetland Community (17); Upland Forest Habitat (17); Management
Indicator Species (17)
AQUATIC HABITAT. 18
Management Indicator Species (19)
THREATENED, ENDANGERED, REGIONALLY SENSITIVE, AND STATE SPECIES OF SPECIAL
CONCERN . 19
SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT. 19
HERITAGE RESOURCES . 19
LAND USE, OWNERSHIP AND DEVELOPMENT.20
ZONING .,.22
RIVER ISLANDS .22
INFRASTRUCTURE . 22
Roads (22); Bridges (22); Access Sites (22); Trails (23); Other (23)
NOISE .23
LAW AND REGULATORY ENFORCEMENT.23
RECREATION .27
MANAGEMENT.28
MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES. 28
DESIRED CONDITIONS . 28
RIPARIAN ZONE.28
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WATER .28
FISH, WILDLIFE, AND THREATENED, ENDANGERED, AND SENSITIVE SPECIES
HABITAT.29
Fish Habitat (29); Wildlife Habitat (29); Threatened, Endangered and Sensitive Species
Habitat (29)
VEGETATION .29
RECREATION .29
Upper Section - Kinzua Dam to Tionesta - Rural ROS Classification (30); Lower Section -
Tionesta to Emlenton - Roaded Natural ROS Classification (31)
HERITAGE RESOURCES .31
IMPLEMENTATION . 32
MANAGEMENT DIRECTION AND STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES .32
LOCAL LAND MANAGEMENT AND ZONING GUIDELINES.33
Forest Service Administered Lands (34); State Administered Lands (35); Municipal and
Privately Owned Land (40)
RIPARIAN AREA MANAGEMENT.40
RECREATION . 41
Recreation Opportunity (41); Recreational Developments Outside the ANF Proclamation
Boundary (41)
HERITAGE RESOURCES .42
Historic sites (42); Archaeological sites (42)
TIMBER MANAGEMENT .43
MINERALS AND GEOLOGY. 43
LAW ENFORCEMENT. 43
LAND ACQUISITION .i.43
Within the Allegheny National Forest Proclamation Boundary (43); Outside of the Allegheny
National Forest Service Proclamation Boundary (44)
STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES .44
ADDITIONAL ANF STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES - APPLICABLE WITHIN THE
ALLEGHENY RIVER CORRIDOR.44
Human and Community Development (44); Information Services (44); Visual Quality (45);
Riparian Area Management (45); Recreation Developments (45); Timber
Management (48); Land Acquisition (48)
ADDITIONAL STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES FOR FEDERAL LANDS WITHIN THE
ALLEGHENY WILD AND SCENIC RIVER..49
MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES .54
OVERVIEW '. . . ..54
MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE TOWNS AND TOWNSHIPS.55
MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE COUNTIES .55
MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF
PENNSYLVANIA .56
MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE .57
RESPONSIBILITIES OF OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES .58
RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN ADVISORY COUNCILS.58
MONITORING .52
MONITORING PLAN ALLEGHENY WILD AND SCENIC RIVER.53
PLAN IMPLEMENTATION .57
INDEX
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APPENDICES
APPENDIX A - REFERENCES.A-l
APPENDIX B - GLOSSARY. B-l
APPENDIX C - ALLEGHENY WILD AND SCENIC RIVER CORRIDOR MAPS . C-l
APPENDIX D - ALLEGHENY WILD AND SCENIC RIVER LEGISLATION .D-l
APPENDIX E - NATIONAL WILD AND SCENIC RIVER INTERIM MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES
JULY 1993 . E-l
APPENDIX F - EXCERPTED FOREST PLAN STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES FOR MANAGEMENT
AREAS 5, 6.1, 6.4, 7, & 8 AND THE INCORPORATION OF ADDITIONAL STANDARDS AND
GUIDELINES TO BE USED WITHIN THE ALLEGHENY WILD AND SCENIC RIVER CORRIDOR . . . F-l
APPENDIX G - MANAGEMENT GUIDEUNELINES FOR ALL CLASSIFICATIONS OF SCENIC RIVER
SEGMENTS OCTOBER 1984 (PA DER) .G-l
APPENDIX H - LOCAL LAND MANAGEMENT AND ZONING GUIDELINES - ALLEGHENY WILD
AND SCENIC RIVER.\ H-l
APPENDIX I - HERITAGE RESOURCE PROTECTION METHODS.1-1
APPENDIX J - NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN ADVISORY COUNCIL RECOMMENDATIONS . J-l
APPENDIX K - BIOLOGICAL EVALUATION .K-l
APPENDIX L - ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIONS. L-l
MAPS, FIGURES AND TABLES
MAP 1 - ALLEGHENY RIVER BASIN...3
MAP 2 - EXISTING CONDITIONS - RECREATION SITE LOCATION MAP..4
FIGURE A - TYPICAL CROSS SECTION - Allegheny River Riparian Area. 10
TABLE II - 1 - MEAN DAILY FLOWS AND RECREATIONAL REQUIREMENTS . 13
HGURE B - SECTION - Broad Valley With Pastoral/Rural Scene
SECTION - Narrow Valley With Natural Appearing Islands . 15
HGURE C - SECTION - Narrow Sharply Winding Valley With Steep Sideslopes . 16
TABLE II - 2 - EXISTING ZONING ORDINANCES WITHIN THE PROPOSED RIVER CORRIDOR.24
TABLE II - 3 - EXISTING ACCESS SITES .25
MAP 3 - EXISTING CONDITIONS - RECREATION SITE LOCATION MAP.25A
MAPS 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D - FOREST SERVICE MANAGEMENT AREAS .36-39
MAP 5 - ALTERNATP/E 2 - RECREATION SITE LOCATION MAP.41A
TABLE III-l. STREAMSIDE MANAGEMENT ZONE DISTANCES. 47
ADDITIONAL STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES FOR FEDERAL LAND WITHIN THE ALLEGHENY
WILD AND SCENIC RIVER .49
MONITORING PLAN ALLEGHENY WILD AND SCENIC RIVER. 60
PLAN IMPLEMENTATION. 65
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INTRODUCTION
biologically-diverse watersheds in
THE RIVER
Pennsylvania and may act as a natural
source for increasing biodiversity throughout
1. Allegheny River Watershed
the Allegheny River watershed.
The Allegheny River Basin (see Map 1, p. 3)
occupies 11,747 square miles in the states of
New York and Pennsylvania. The Allegheny
River is over 315 miles in length and
contributes 60 percent of the Ohio River flow
at Pittsburgh. Much of the upland area us
rugged and heavily forested, and access
roads are limited. Heavy manufacturing
dominates the lower portion of the basin.
Agriculture is light throughout, except for
the New York portion which has a large
dairy industry. There are nine U.S. Army
Corps of Engineer reservoirs located
throughout the basin. The main stem of the
Allegheny River is navigable by commercial
traffic from its mouth at Pittsburgh to East
Brady, Pennsylvania 72 miles upstream (Ohio 3. Allegheny Wild and Scenic River
River Basin Commission, April 1980).
The Allegheny National Wild and Scenic
The proposed corridor of the Allegheny Wild River ("Wild and Scenic" refers to the name
and Scenic River (approximately 24,279 acres of the entire national system and not the
and 87 miles) represents a very small classification of specific designated segments
percentage of the land in the Allegheny River of rivers) consists of three designated
Basin (0.3 percent of the land area and 28 _ segments (86.6 miles) of the Allegheny River
percent of its length). The designated (all with a recreational classification) located
segments begin below Kinzua Dam in the counties of Venango, Forest and
(upstream of Warren, PA) and end at Warren (see Map 2, page 4). Rivers classified
Emlenton, PA as "recreational" are those "that are readily
accessible by road or railroad, that may have
2. Kinzua Dam some development along their shorelines,
and that may have undergone some
The Kinzua Dam has had a significant impoundment in the past (U.S.P.L. 90-542,
ecological impact on the Allegheny 1968)." The three river segments are:
watershed. The influence of the headwater
streams upriver from the dam have been * Kinzua Dam to the US Route 6 Bridge,
negated, and natural cycles of inundation, Warren - 6.6 miles;
abrasion, and deposition have been altered. * Buckaloons Recreation Area (Allegheny
Other headwater streams of the Allegheny National Forest) to Alcorn Island, just
River, below Kinzua Dam, in the glaciated north of Oil City - 48.0 miles; and
watersheds drained by Brokenstraw Creek * Franklin to the refinery at Emlenton -
and French Creek and in the Allegheny 32.0 miles.
National Forest, have a major influence on
the ecological processes in the Allegheny The corridor boundary which varies in width
River. French Creek is one of the most from a few hundred feet to approximately
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