Lewiston Dam Releases and Their Influence on Water Temperatures of the Trinity River, California
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U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Lewiston Dam Releases and Their Influence on Water Temperatures of the Trinity River, California WY 2002 Report Number AFWO-F-02-03 Lewiston Dam Releases and Their Influence On Water Temperatures of the Trinity River, CA WY 2002 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office 1655 Heindon Road Arcata, California 95521 (707) 822-7201 FAX (707) 822-8411 June 2003 Primary Author: Paul Zedonis ([email protected]) A Report to the Trinity River Restoration Program P.O. Box 1300 Weaverville, CA 96093 The use of trade, product, or firm names in this publication is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank Service personnel Randy Brown, Charlie Chamberlain, George Guillen, and Tom Shaw for their review and comments on an earlier draft of this report. Funding for this project was made possible through the Trinity River Restoration Program Office located in Weaverville, California. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS............................................................................................................iii TABLE OF CONTENTS...................................................................................................................iv LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................................iv LIST OF FIGURES...........................................................................................................................iv SUMMARY OF FINDINGS ...........................................................................................................v INTRODUCTION ...........................................................................................................................1 METHODS ......................................................................................................................................2 RESULTS ........................................................................................................................................5 River Flow....................................................................................................................................5 Thermal Regime of the Mainstem Trinity River..........................................................................6 Lewiston Gage (RK 178.2)............................................................................................................6 Douglas City Gage (RK 148.5).................................................................................................7 Pear Tree Gulch (RK 117.6).....................................................................................................8 Average Daily Water Temperatures - RK 178.2 to 117.6.........................................................9 Average Daily Water Temperatures - RK 117.6 to 0.1...........................................................10 Spring-time Objectives of the Lower Trinity River ...................................................................11 Thermal Regime of Tributaries .................................................................................................. 12 Water Temperatures of the Trinity River and Klamath River at Weitchpec during the Spring and Early Summer......................................................................................................................13 RECOMMENDATIONS...............................................................................................................14 REFERENCES ..............................................................................................................................15 PERSONAL COMMUNICATIONS.............................................................................................15 LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Water temperature objectives of the Trinity River..........................................................................3 Table 2. Water Temperature Monitoring Locations, 2002. ...........................................................................4 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Flow of the Trinity River at Lewiston gage (LWS), Burnt Ranch gage (TBR) and Hoopa Gage (HPA), 2002. .................................................................................................................................5 Figure 2. Average daily water temperature and flow of the Trinity River at Lewiston gage in 2002. Comparisons of water temperature data from the CDEC station and the Service probe (SN 500412)..........................................................................................................................................6 Figure 3. Average daily water temperatures of the Trinity River at the Douglas City gage in 2002. Comparisons of water temperature data from the CDEC station and Service probe (SN 234201) and the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board water temperature objectives. ........7 Figure 4. Average daily water temperatures of the Trinity River at the Pear Tree Gulch gage in 2002. Comparison of water temperature data of the CDEC Station and the Service probe (SN 500397) and the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board temperature objectives ...................8 Figure 5. Average daily water temperatures of the Trinity River from Lewiston gage (RK 178.2) to Pear Tree Gulch gage (RK 117.6), USFWS data, 2002.........................................................................9 Figure 6. Average daily water temperatures of the Trinity River from Pear Tree Gulch gage (RK 117.2) to Weitchpec (RK 0.1), USFWS data, 2002....................................................................................10 Figure 7. Comparison of Water Temperatures of the Trinity River at Weitchpec (RM 0.1) in 2002 and the spring-time temperature criteria at Weitchpec.............................................................................11 Figure 8. Average daily water temperatures of five tributaries of the Trinity River, USFWS data, 2002. ..12 Figure 9. Comparison of water temperatures (WT) and river flow of the Trinity River and the Klamath River at their confluence, USFWS data, 2002.............................................................................14 iv SUMMARY OF FINDINGS • Spring-time flows from Lewiston Dam in 2002 had a large influence on flow at all mainstem gages. The effect was greatest at the Lewiston gage during the peak dam-release of 6,000 cfs in early May. Flow accretions from tributaries lessened the effect at lower river gages. • During the peak dam release of 6,000 cfs, the mean daily water temperature of the Trinity River at Lewiston (RK 178.2) was reduced from approximately 10 to 8 degrees Celsius (°C). This reduction in water temperature was attributed to a more rapid transit time of larger hypolimnetic releases from Trinity Dam and short hydraulic residence time, which limit heating of water in Lewiston Reservoir before being released to the Trinity River. • Water temperatures of the entire mainstem Trinity River below Lewiston were notably affected by the peak dam release and moderated during the receding portion of the hydrograph. Sites closest to the dam were affected the most. • Comparison of average daily temperatures calculated from hourly data collected from two independent thermisters at Lewiston, Douglas and Pear Tree Gulch gage locations indicated they were generally within 0.2 ºC of each other. • Water temperature objectives of the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board were always met from July 1 through October 16 when dam release flow was 450 cfs, and from October 16 to December 31 when dam release flow was 300 cfs. • Spring-time water temperature objectives at Weitchpec, as prescribed in the Record of Decision of the Trinity River Environmental Impact Statement for a Dry water year were met, although the hydrologic conditions of the basin were Normal. Optimally suitable smolt water temperatures were maintained in the Trinity River through late May and thereafter only marginally suitable smolt water temperatures were maintained. • From April to mid-July, the average daily water temperatures of the South Fork Trinity River were up to 6 ºC warmer than other major tributaries. For this same time period, Rush Creek, Canyon Creek, Big French Creek, and the North Fork Trinity River were generally within 3 ºC of each other. Big French Creek and Rush Creek exhibited the least amount of seasonal variation and overall colder thermal regimes. • Prior to the peak release from Lewiston Dam in early May, average daily water temperatures of the Klamath River at Weitchpec (RK 70) were about 1 ºC colder than the Trinity River. Shortly after the peak release, average daily water temperatures of the Trinity River became about 1 ºC colder than the Klamath River. By mid-June, water temperatures of the Trinity and Klamath Rivers were similar. • It is recommended that the temperature monitoring network that was used in 2002 be maintained. Only by collection of this information can important “cause and effect” relationships of TRD water operations be empirically described. v INTRODUCTION Flow and water temperatures of the Trinity River mainstem changed appreciably when the Trinity River Division (TRD) of the Central Valley Project was completed and the Trinity River was dammed in 1963 (U.S. Fish and Wildlife and Hoopa Valley Tribe 1999). Prior to the dams, the water temperatures of the river were largely dependent on flow quantity.