When starting a fire this morning I glanced through a letter expressing opposition to the construction of a power plant using water from Connelly Lake. The writer’s objection was based on the belief it would result in great harm to the fishery. At the present time, Connelly Lake is a liability. When the snows melt and the summer rains fill the lake to an overflow, huge runoff carries debris and sediment into existing spawning areas. Also, as winter approaches the watershed and lake freeze, cutting off water to a trickle, the eggs that have spawned in the Connelly Lake tributary freeze and die. If a dam were constructed to hold the huge summer runoff and allow water to flow through winter, the eggs would be protected and the fishery enhanced. This would make Connelly Lake an asset instead of a liability. It can hurt no one if a professional study is made to provide the information that will help us determine from this standpoint if Connelly Lake dam should be built.

John J. Schnabel