DOCSLIB.ORG

Fisheries Resource Report

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Fisheries Resource Report Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee National Grassland Oil and Gas Leasing Analysis Fisheries Resource Report Prepared by Matthew P. Fairchild Date June 30, 2014 ARP Oil and Gas Leasing Analysis Table of Contents Fisheries and Aquatic Resource Issues ................................................................................... 1 Affected Environment for Fisheries ........................................................................................ 1 Amount and Distribution of Aquatic Habitat .......................................................................... 2 Current Human Disturbances and Threats to Aquatic Habitats .............................................. 6 Aquatic Communities and Aquatic Species Distributions ...................................................... 6 Environmental Consequences ................................................................................................ 11 Methodology ......................................................................................................................... 11 Consequences of Water Depletions and Consumptive Use .................................................. 12 Consequences of Habitat Sedimentation ............................................................................... 14 Consequences of Environmental Contaminants to Aquatic Habitat ..................................... 17 Consequences of Habitat Fragmentation ............................................................................... 22 Determination of Effects to Species and Rationale ............................................................... 24 Regulatory Framework ............................................................................................................. 29 Grasslands Land Management Areas .................................................................................... 29 Desired Condition ................................................................................................................. 30 Executive Orders ................................................................................................................... 31 References ................................................................................................................................. 32 List of Tables Table 1. Summary of the amount and distribution of aquatic habitat types across the Pawnee National Grassland, Weld County, Colorado. ......................................................................... 3 Table 2. The list of aquatic species for which environmental impacts have been examined in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement. Includes special status and reason for in depth analysis. Note: Pallid sturgeon is included as federally-listed species of Platte River Ecosystem downstream of this project area in Nebraska. ....................................................... 7 Table 3. Consequences of water depletions compared among alternatives. .................................. 13 Table 4. Consequences of habitat sedimentation to 33 miles of suitable aquatic habitats on the Pawnee National Grassland compared among alternatives. .................................................. 16 Table 5. Concentration of oil & gas related constituents (mg/L) in surface water, ground water, and produced water within 0.25 mile of PNG lands, Weld Co. An asterisk (*) indicates values exceeds known toxicity level for fish or water quality standard. N-Hexane, naphthalene, methane, magnesium, iron, oil & grease, fluoride, ethylbenzene, bicarbonate, calcium, chromium, barium, arsenic, strontium, sulfate, diesel organics, gasoline organics, thorium, and xylenes were detected but below known toxicity values for fish. (1) Value is just under known toxicity level, but reproductive physiology is likely affected at this level.19 Table 6. Consequences of habitat contamination compared among alternatives. ......................... 21 Table 7. Distribution of potential fragmentation sites along streams on the Pawnee National Grassland, Weld Co., Colorado. GIS generated results from Colorado Division of Water Resources and USDA Forest Service. ................................................................................... 22 Table 8. Consequences of habitat fragmentation compared among alternatives. ......................... 24 Table 9. Summary of the distribution, extent, and current status of fish occurrence in occupied aquatic habitats on the PNG, Weld Co, Colorado. The proportion of habitat at high, moderate, and low risk are indicated for each drainage. Superscripts indicated streams historically occupied by plain topminnow (1) and northern plains killifish (2). ................... 26 i ARP Oil and Gas Leasing Analysis List of Figures Figure 1. Persistent aquatic habitat feature on the Pawnee National Grassland, Kibben Allotment grazing exclosure. .................................................................................................................... 1 Figure 2. Water level changes in perennial surface water habitats from July 2012 to October 2013 in the South Pawnee Creek drainage, Pawnee National Grassland, Weld County, Colorado. Water levels above dashed lines approximate periods when surface flow were present. .................................................................................................................................... 2 Figure 3. Maps of the East and West units of the Pawnee National Grassland depicted to distribution of movement corridors, suitable aquatic habitat, and occupied aquatic habitat, Weld Cty, Colorado. ................................................................................................................ 5 Figure 4. Photograph of a plains topminnow collected from the South Pawnee Creek area of the Pawnee National Grassland, 2012. .......................................................................................... 8 Figure 5. Photograph of a northern plains killifish collected from Owl Creek, Pawnee National Grassland, 2013. ...................................................................................................................... 9 Figure 6. Quantity of produced water (blue line) and number of spills (red line) reported to Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission for Weld County Colorado from 2004 to 2013. Source: Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission Online Database. ............ 18 ii ARP Oil and Gas Leasing Analysis Figure 1. Persistent aquatic habitat feature on the Pawnee National Grassland, Kibben Allotment grazing exclosure. Fisheries and Aquatic Resource Issues 1. Suitable aquatic habitat either supporting or capable of supporting native fishes of the Pawnee National Grassland (PNG) 2. Surface and groundwater sources that supply water to sustain suitable habitats 3. Connection habitat that links patches of suitable aquatic habitat within the stream networks of the PNG 4. Risks to population persistence for plains topminnow on PNG 5. Risks to species viability for plains topminnow and plains killifish on PNG Affected Environment for Fisheries The Pawnee National Grassland contains several land parcels among 39 sixth field (i.e., 6 digit hydrologic units) prairie watersheds on a portion of Colorado’s eastern plain. All of the plains streams occurring on the grassland are tributary to the South Platte River. This is a portion of the western Great Plains that extends from eastern Colorado and eastern Wyoming east across much of Nebraska, portions of South Dakota, and into Kansas. These prairie watersheds originate on the plains and have developed into a loosely parallel drainage pattern, exhibiting a hydrology characterized by flooding and drying. Resultantly, few of these streams are continuously 1 ARP Oil and Gas Leasing Analysis perennial. Rather, most streams are intermittent with short sections of perennial surface water that occur as semi-connected pools along the streamcourse (Figure 1). Surface water within these clusters of aquatic habitat is maintained by stochastic precipitation events great enough to generate overland flow during and shortly following storm events and via groundwater that is exposed to the surface where pool-like depressions occur along the streamcourse (Figure 2). Based on 75 years of precipitation data, the greatest amount of precipitation falls from April through June; however, some areas experience a wet monsoon season in August and September (USDA Forest Service, unpublished data). These wet periods likely generate sufficient stream flow to connect separate perennial habitats within a 10-year period or less. Although small and unseen by most, these unique aquatic habitats occur in most of the intermittent stream channels across the western Great Plains, including the Pawnee National Grassland. 5 Box 4 Kibben 3 2 1 0 -1 -2 Water level (feet) -3 -4 -5 -6 Jul-12 Oct-12 Jan-13 May-13 Aug-13 Nov-13 Figure 2. Water level changes in perennial surface water habitats from July 2012 to October 2013 in the South Pawnee Creek drainage, Pawnee National Grassland, Weld County, Colorado. Water levels above dashed lines approximate periods when surface flow were present. Amount and Distribution of Aquatic Habitat Although the total amount of aquatic habitats on the Pawnee National Grasslands may be quite limited during a snapshot of time, the linear networks in which those habitats occur are large, covering multiple 40,000 acre watersheds that stretch from southeastern Wyoming to the South Platte River. Hydrologic data used to classify
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Lower South Platte Watershed Plan
    Lower South Platte Watershed Plan The writing and development of this plan was sponsored by the Colorado State Conservation Board, an organization within the Conservation Services Division of the Colorado Department of Agriculture. The Lower South Platte Watershed Plan project was coordinated by Mark Cronquist, Northeast Regional Conservation Specialist, Colorado State Conservation Board Authors for the plan were Ron Jepson Mark Cronquist Acknowledgements The information presented in this document was developed through the in-kind and financial support of a number of interested people as well as local, county, state, and federal agencies and organizations. These are listed below; with the sincere appreciation of the authors (those in italics have provided direct financial support): Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Colorado State Conservation Board Colorado Water Quality Control Commission West Greeley Conservation District Charlie Bartlett, Colorado Corn Troy Bauder, Colorado State University Nancy Berges, Sedgwick County Conservation District/Lower South Platte Watershed Assn. Justin Bieri, Central Colorado Water Conservancy District Bruce Bosley, Colorado State University Extension Terry Fankhauser, Colorado Cattlemen’s Assn. Wendy Figueroa, Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife Joe Frank, Lower South Platte Water Conservancy District LeRoy Hall, Colorado Natural Resources Conservation Service Cindy Lair, Colorado Dept. of Agriculture, Colorado State Conservation Board Val Loose, Morgan Conservation District Julie McCaleb, Northeast Colorado Health Department Connie O’Neill, North Front Range Water Quality Planning Association Douglas Rademacher, Weld County Commissioner Ivan Steinke, Colorado Livestock Association Mark Sponsler, Colorado Corn Ken Strom, Colorado Audubon Joyce Wallace, West Greeley Conservation District Brad Wind, Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District Special recognition is given to the Colorado Nonpoint Source Program for providing the impetus and funding for the development of this plan.
    [Show full text]
  • PAAC Survey in the Pawnee Buttes Area
    An Archaeological Survey of Selected Tracts in the Pawnee Buttes Region, Weld County, Colorado by Kevin D. Black Principal Investigator with a contribution by Aaron V. A. Theis for the Colorado State Board of Land Commissioners Eaton, Colorado Sponsored by History Colorado Office of the State Archaeologist of Colorado Program for Avocational Archaeological Certification Denver, Colorado Colorado State Permits #2012–50, 2013–16, 2014–10 May 2017 Abstract During the 2012–2014 field seasons, an archaeological survey was conducted in dispersed portions of northeastern Colorado as part of the training available in the Program for Avocational Archaeological Certification (PAAC). The project thus depended heavily on the efforts of volunteers, most of whom are members of the Colorado Archaeological Society (CAS) already enrolled in PAAC, supervised and trained by the Assistant State Archaeologist from History Colorado. The inventory was completed on just under 1,500 acres of state trust lands in four separate tracts in the vicinity of the Pawnee Buttes in northern Weld County, Colorado. These four parcels cover a range of open grassland settings along four different drainages: Geary Creek, North Pawnee Creek, South Pawnee Creek, and Wild Horse Creek, all at elevations of 1,450–1,634 m (4,765–5,360 feet). This area was intensively surveyed in part to train the 46 PAAC volunteers in archaeological inventory and mapping methods, but also to gather data on the archaeological record of state-owned lands adjacent to Pawnee National Grasslands properties in a part of Weld County witnessing intensive oil and gas development in recent years. As a result of the survey a total of 52 sites and 77 isolated finds (IFs) were recorded for the first time, and one other previously documented site was formally re- recorded.
    [Show full text]
  • Pawnee National Grassland Oil and Gas Leasing Analysis
    Pawnee National Grassland Oil and Gas Leasing Analysis Final Environmental Impact Statement December 2014 USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Region Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee National Grassland The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee National Grassland Oil and Gas Leasing Final Environmental Impact Statement December 2014 Weld County, Colorado Lead Agency: USDA Forest Service Cooperating Agency: USDI Bureau of Land Management Responsible Official: Glenn Casamassa Forest Supervisor Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee National Grassland 2150 Centre Avenue, Building E Fort Collins, CO 80526 970-295-6600 Project Contact: Joshua Milligan Forest Planner Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests and Pawnee National Grassland 2150 Centre Avenue, Building E Fort Collins, CO 80526 (970) 295-6761 [email protected] Abstract: This Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) has been prepared to document and disclose the estimated environmental impacts of a decision to make available and apply lease stipulations to National Forest System lands within the Pawnee National Grassland.
    [Show full text]
  • A History of Nebraska's Fishery Resources
    University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Publications Nebraska Game and Parks Commission 1963 A History of Nebraska's Fishery Resources David J. Jones Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/nebgamepubs Part of the Environmental Sciences Commons Jones, David J., "A History of Nebraska's Fishery Resources" (1963). Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Publications. 31. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/nebgamepubs/31 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Publications by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. r~'~'" I I I I I I I ,I I I I ... ..• ... , ,, \ , \ ,, \ , \ , A History of Nebraska's Fishery Resou rces Author: David J. Jones Edited by: Information and Tourism Division Illustrations by: Frank Holub Dingell-Johnson Federal Aid in Fish Restoration Project F-4-R Publication, 1963 Nebraska Game, Forestation and Parks Commission ACKNOWLEDGMENT Thanks are due staffs of the Fisheries Division and the Information and Tourism Division of the Nebraska Game, Forestation and Parks Commission for the assistance received in preparing this report. Also, the assistance obtained from the staffs of the University of Nebraska Library, the Nebraska Historical Society Library, the Missouri Conserva­ tion Commission, and the Iowa Conservation Commission is sincerely appreciated. Special thanks are extended to Dr. John L. Champe for permission use the Central Plains Index in the Laboratory of Anthropology at the University of Nebraska; Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • Summary of Significant Floods in the United States and Puerto Rico, 1994 Through 1998 Water Years
    Index 313 Index Arizona—Continued Bradshaw Mountains, 29 Grand Canyon, 29 A Littlefield, 29 absorption, Page, 29 definition, ix Phantom Ranch, 29 Alabama, 7, 11, 14, 20–23, 74, 148 Prescott, 29 Dauphin Island, 20 Scottsdale, 29 Elba, 20 Sunflower, 29 Fort Morgan, 20 Tuscon, 29 Mobile, 9, 20 Yuma, 29 Mobile Bay, 20 Arkansas, 14, 32–34 Weeks Bay, 20 Magnolia, 32 Alaska, 7, 24–28 Texarkana, 32 Alaska Highway, 24 Arkansas River, Alatna, 24 Colorado, 59 Anchorage, 24 Mississippi, 148 Coast Mountains, 24 Oklahoma, 216 Cook Inlet, 24 Salt Fork of the, 216 Hughes, 24 Aroostook River, Kodiak Island, 24 Maine, 130 Palmer, 24 Atlantic, Valdez, 24 Iowa, 115 Wiseman, 24 Atlantic City, Alatna, New Jersey, 178 Alaska, 24 Atwood, Alexandria, Colorado, 59 Louisiana, 128 Aurora, Allegheny River, Illinois, 102 Pennsylvania, 298 Austin, Alta, Texas, 261 Utah, 269 Ayers Brook, Americus, Vermont, 273 Georgia, 80 Ames, B Iowa, 115 Baker River, Amite River, New Hampshire, 175 Louisiana, 128 bank, Anchorage, definition, ix Alaska, 24 Beardstown, Androscoggin River, Illinois, 102 Maine, 130 Beaufort, Antelope Canyon, South Carolina, 245 Arizona, 29 Beaver Creek, Apalachicola, Kentucky, 123 Florida, 74 Left Fork, 123 Apalachicola River, Right Fork, 123 Florida, 74 Beaver Dam Wash, Appalachian Mountains, 133, 277, 298 Arizona, 29 Arcadia, Benton Harbor, Florida, 74 Michigan, 138 Arizona, 16, 29–31 Big Muddy River, Antelope Canyon, 29 Illinois, 102 314 Summary of Significant Floods in the United States and Puerto Rico, 1994 Through 1998 Water Years Big Pine Creek,
    [Show full text]
  • FLOODS of JUNE 1965 SOUTJ-L PLATTE RIVER BASIN, COLORADO and NEBRASKA
    ----------- COLORADO 13 REPORT on the FLOODS OF JUNE 1965 SOUTJ-l PLATTE RIVER BASIN, COLORADO AND NEBRASKA I I I• U. S. ARMY ENGINEER DISTRICT~ OMAHA CORPS OF ENGINEERS COLORADO OMAHA, NEBRASKA JANUARY 1967 13 IV. DESCRIPTION OF THE FLOODS OF JUNE 1965 16. METEOROLOGY During the period of 15-18 June 1965, a quasi-stationary front was oriented on a north-south line along the mountains in southern Wyoming, Colorado, and northern New Mexico. On 14 June, a closed circulation formed aloft over the California-Nevada area and continued to deepen, thereby causing southerly winds over Colorado. This upper air low, coupled with a ridge over the Great Plains region, produced an atmospheric circulation that transported a deep layer of moist air northward from the Gulf of Mexico to the plains east of the Rocky Mountains. At the same time, a series of squall lines formed and moved rapidly eastward from the quasi-stationary front, triggering intense precipitation in various locations east of the mountains. The surface dewpoint temperatures during this period were generally in the upper 50's. On 18-19 June the upper air low began dissipating, allowing the upper-air wind circulation to return to a more westerly direction over Colorado. The quasi-stationary front then began to move eastward out of the flood area as a cold front. l'T. DEPTH-AREA-DURATION VALUES The rainfall isohyetal map of the storm, plate 2, and the rainfall depth-area curves, plate 3, illustrate that the storm of 16-17 June 1965 ranks with the major storms for this general area.
    [Show full text]
  • Environmental Assessment United States Department of Agriculture Watershed Improvement Projects on the Pawnee
    Environmental Assessment United States Department of Agriculture Watershed Improvement Projects on the Pawnee Forest National Grassland Service September Pawnee National Grassland 2010 Arapaho Roosevelt National Forest and Pawnee National Grassland Weld County, Colorado Little Owl Creek, Pawnee National Grassland i Lead Agency: USDA Forest Service Responsible Official: Lori A. Bell, District Ranger, PNG Contact Persons: Lori A. Bell, District Ranger Pawnee National Grassland 660 ‘0’ Street, Greeley, CO 80631 Phone: 970-346-5003 E-mail: [email protected] Or Nehalem Clark, Rangeland Management Specialist Pawnee National Grassland 660 ‘0’ Street, Greeley, CO 80631 Phone: 970-346-5008 E-mail: [email protected] The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272
    [Show full text]
  • Thesis an Analysis of Stone Circle Site Structure On
    THESIS AN ANALYSIS OF STONE CIRCLE SITE STRUCTURE ON THE PAWNEE NATIONAL GRASSLAND, WELD COUNTY, COLORADO Submitted by Jennifer K. Long Department of Anthropology In partial fulfillment of the requirements For the Degree of Master of Arts Colorado State University Fort Collins, Colorado Fall 2011 Master’s Committee: Advisor: Jason LaBelle Jason Sibold Janet Ore ABSTRACT AN ANALYSIS OF STONE CIRCLE SITE STRUCTURE ON THE PAWNEE NATIONAL GRASSLAND, WELD COUNTY, COLORADO The purpose of this research is to create a context of stone circle site information on the Pawnee National Grassland that will contribute to the overall study of this valuable resource within Colorado, as well as throughout the Great Plains region. These data will provide a solid base for future research to be conducted on stone circles in Colorado. In order to better understand stone circle site structure, cluster analysis was utilized to expose patterns for three analyses which included overall site structure based on the landforms on which the site resides, stone circle gap direction as compared to overall site structure, and comparing prevailing wind directions and the portion of the stone circles with the highest stone counts. To accomplish this, center points were collected with a GPS unit for each of the 249 stone circles recorded. Attributes were then documented including exterior diameters, circle definition, gap direction, stone counts per octant, and associated artifacts and features. To determine overall site structure, nearest neighbor analysis was run in ArcGIS 9.3 yielding a spatial pattern of clustered, dispersed, or random. Next, an attribute was included in the cluster analysis using the spatial autocorrelation test with the gap direction in degrees.
    [Show full text]