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East Walker River Watershed Assessment

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East Walker River Watershed Assessment East Walker River Watershed Assessment March 2012 Contributors and Acknowledgements Assessment and plan written by Rick Kattelmann Ph.D., retired hydrologist who specialized in watershed management and snow hydrology. He worked and contracted for a variety of agencies, public utilities, and conservation groups. Rick was the principal hydrologist for the Sierra Nevada Ecosystem Project in the mid-1990s and authored more than 150 scientific and technical papers. He served two terms on the Mono County Planning Commission and wrote watershed assessments for the other principal watersheds of Mono County. Rick holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in forestry and watershed hydrology at U.C. Berkeley and a Ph.D. in snow hydrology from U.C. Santa Barbara. Assessment and plan production managed by Eastern Sierra Land Trust: Aaron Johnson, Lands Director, Heather Freeman, Office Coordinator, Karen Ferrell-Ingram, Executive Director Assistance with cartographic design and spatial analysis: Kimberly Forkner Funders/Support: Funding for this project has been provided by the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, an agency of the State of California. The maps and cartographic products included in this report were made possible through a generous grant of the ArcGIS software by Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) through the ESRI Conservation Program. Disclaimer Watershed Assessments are a snapshot in time of a location, synthesizing all the known information concerning that area. Omissions, errors, an d misunderstandings can occur. The authors request that corrections, additions, and suggestions be sent to the address below. Eastern Sierra Land Trust P.O. Box 755 Bishop, CA 93515 East Walker River Watershed Assessment Table of Contents Contributors and Acknowledgements ............................................................................................. 1 Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................ 1 1. Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 1-1 Watershed Approach ................................................................................................................ 1-1 California Watershed Programs and Mono County's Watersheds ........................................... 1-1 What is a Watershed Assessment? ........................................................................................... 1-2 General Problems and Issues in the East Walker River Basin................................................. 1-3 Water Quantity ..................................................................................................................... 1-3 Water Quality ....................................................................................................................... 1-5 Habitat .................................................................................................................................. 1-5 Recreation ............................................................................................................................ 1-6 Wildfire ................................................................................................................................ 1-6 Invasive Species ................................................................................................................... 1-6 Driving Questions .................................................................................................................... 1-6 Watershed Description and Boundaries ................................................................................... 1-7 2. Descriptive Geography ............................................................................................................ 2-1 Climate ..................................................................................................................................... 2-1 Precipitation ......................................................................................................................... 2-1 Snowpack ............................................................................................................................. 2-6 Air Temperature ................................................................................................................... 2-6 Wind ..................................................................................................................................... 2-7 Evaporation .......................................................................................................................... 2-7 Climate Change .................................................................................................................... 2-8 Topography .............................................................................................................................. 2-9 Geology and Soils .................................................................................................................. 2-10 Upland Vegetation ................................................................................................................. 2-13 Invasive Weeds .................................................................................................................. 2-14 Sensitive Plant Species ...................................................................................................... 2-17 Wildfire History and Risk ...................................................................................................... 2-19 3. Riparian Areas and Wetlands ................................................................................................... 3-1 4. Fish and Wildlife...................................................................................................................... 4-1 Fish ........................................................................................................................................... 4-1 Lahontan Cutthroat Trout .................................................................................................... 4-2 Endemic Fishes .................................................................................................................... 4-4 Amphibians .............................................................................................................................. 4-5 Wildlife .................................................................................................................................... 4-6 Refuges and Reserves .............................................................................................................. 4-9 5. Human History and Land Use.................................................................................................. 5-1 Land Use .................................................................................................................................. 5-7 Recreation ............................................................................................................................ 5-8 East Walker River Watershed Assessment Page 1 Agriculture and Grazing ...................................................................................................... 5-9 Mining ................................................................................................................................ 5-11 Roads.................................................................................................................................. 5-11 Wild and Scenic River Status ................................................................................................ 5-13 Conservation Areas ................................................................................................................ 5-13 6. Descriptive Hydrology ............................................................................................................. 6-1 Runoff Generation Processes ................................................................................................... 6-2 Water Balance .......................................................................................................................... 6-3 Streamflow Averages and Extremes ........................................................................................ 6-4 Droughts and Floods ............................................................................................................ 6-8 Baseflow ............................................................................................................................ 6-14 Lakes ...................................................................................................................................... 6-14 Simulation Modeling ......................................................................................................... 6-15 Groundwater .......................................................................................................................... 6-15 Travertine Hot Springs ....................................................................................................... 6-17 Buckeye Hot Springs ......................................................................................................... 6-17 Diversions and Storage .......................................................................................................... 6-17 Water Rights, Use and Management
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