Pennsylvania DCNR Plans White-Water Release into Bucks County's Tohickon Creek

Annual Recreational Event Scheduled for Nov. 5-6

HARRISBURG, Pa., Oct. 31, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- White-water boating enthusiasts will converge on Bucks County's Tohickon Creek this weekend when the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources releases water from Lake Nockamixon into the Tohickon Creek.

Annually scheduled for the first weekend in November, as well as the third weekend in March, water releases from the Nockamixon State Park provide suitable boating water conditions downstream through Ralph Stover State Park from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day of the release.

The water releases begin at 4 a.m. and it takes several hours for the high water to proceed downstream to Ralph Stover State Park, according to park officials.  Suggested hours for viewing the release and boating activity are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Ralph Stover. The release at Nockamixon is best viewed from the Tohickon Bridge off South Park Road from dawn until 2 p.m.

Water releases are eagerly awaited by white-water paddling enthusiasts, and they draw skilled kayakers, canoeists and occasional rafters from throughout the Northeastern United States. Most launch their craft at Ralph Stover State Park, near Pipersville, Bucks County, and travel some four miles along the Tohickon Creek to its junction with the Delaware River at Point Pleasant.

DCNR officials remind boaters this is technical whitewater with Class 3 and 4 rapids that require boating skills. Boaters should be aware of and abide by the safety code of the American Whitewater Affiliation, and wear appropriate personal flotation devices and use only craft designed for this type of water. Because of cold water, boaters also must take appropriate precautions to prevent hypothermia.

For more information, contact Nockamixon State Park at 215-529-7300, or Delaware Canal State Park at 610-982-5560. For more information about Pennsylvania's 120 state parks, visit www.dcnr.state.pa.us.

Media contact: Terry Brady, 717-772-9101

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources