We want to inform you that the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP) will be conducting an aerial black fly (gnat) suppression operations on Thursday, June 26, 2025 on the Delaware River and the Lehigh River Dam. The operations will begin after 8:00 am at Braden Airpark.
The helicopter used for these operations will be a Bell 206 Long Ranger with tail number N660HA and is white with blue and red stripes.
Spray operations will specifically take place within the following sections of each river:
* Delaware River Between Slateford in Northampton County to the area near Trenton, NJ/Yardley, PA in Bucks County.
* Lehigh River At the Easton Dam at the confluence of the Delaware River.
Helicopter Applicators Inc. will be dispersing Vectobac 12AS, which is a bacterial larvicide, not a chemical, and is the only product used in Pennsylvania’s waterways for black fly suppression. Vectobac 12AS is a brown liquid with a fish oil odor. The helicopter will fly low near tree top level and will release the Vectobac at various predetermined positions on each stream. Vectobac is not toxic to fish or other aquatic organisms.
Please note that this work does NOT involve a helicopter spraying over the entire county and applications will only occur on the specific waterways listed in this notice.
For those interested in learning more about the black fly program visit https://www.dep.pa.gov/BlackFly
To gain a better understanding of the operation, you can watch this video provided by PA DEP https://youtu.be/e7f2aL_bI5g.