Upper Deschutes River Fish ManagementPlan Draft May22, 1996 Oregon Department of Fish and Wtldlife Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife Page 1 of 431 Upper Deschutes River Basin Fish Management Plan 1996 COMPLETED DISTRICT DRAFT 04/11/96 6:12:58 PM DESCHUTES RIVER from Wickiup Dam to Bend (North Canal Dam) including the tributaries Fall River and Spring River Overview This portion of the basin plan includes the Deschutes River from Wickiup Dam (RM 227) downstream to Bend (North Canal Dam, RM 164.8), Fall River, and Spring River. The Little Deschutes River, a major tributary which enters at RM 193, is not included because of its' length and connection with other waters in the basin. The Little Deschutes River will be presented in a separate section of the basin plan. In the Habitat and Fish Management sections of the following discussion, the Deschutes River will be divided into two sections; Wickiup Dam to Benham Falls (RM 181), and Benham Falls to Bend (North Canal Dam). The reason for this is based on stream morphology and changes in fish populations. Benham Falls is a high gradient natural cascade which separates the Deschutes River into two logical sections with low gradient above the falls and high gradient below. Similarly, fish population composition changes at Benham Falls with brown trout dominant above and rainbow trout dominant below. The remaining sections; location and ownership, fish stocking history, angling regulations, management issues, summary of alternatives and alternatives will be presented as (1) Deschutes River, and (2) Tributaries. In 1987, the Oregon legislature designated the section of Deschutes River from Wickiup Dam to General Patch Bridge, and from Harper Bridge to the north boundary of the Deschutes National Forest as a State Scenic Waterway. In 1988, a citizen's initiative ballot was passed to include the river section from the north boundary of the Forest to the Central Oregon Irrigation District diversion structure. At the same time, an amendment to the Federal Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, known as the Omnibus Oregon Wild a,d Scenic River Act of 1988, included the Upper Deschutes River between Wickiup Dam and the Bend Urban Growth Boundary in that system. Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife 1 Page 2 of 431 Upper Deschutes River Basin Fish Management Plan 1996 Federally designated Wild and Scenic portions of the Deschutes in this ( segment include: Wickiup Dam to the north boundary of Sunriver (RM 226.7 to \ RM 186.2, recreational), north boundary of Sunriver to Lava Island Camp (RM 186.2 to RM 175, scenic), and Lava Island Camp to the Bend Urban Growth Boundary (RM 175 to RM 172, recreational). State Scenic Waterway designations for this section of the Deschutes River include; Wickiup stream gauge to General Patch Bridge (RM 226.6 to RM 199), and Harper Bridge to the Central Oregon Irrigation District diversion (RM 192.6 to RM 171 ). The USFS is in the process of writing the management plan for the federal Wild and Scenic segment of the river. It is likely the State of Oregon will defer to the federal plan for those State designated river sections. Location and Ownership Deschutes River Streambank ownership for the Deschutes River from Wickiup Dam to Bend (North Canal Dam) is approximately 49% private, 45% federal (Forest Service), 6% state (State Parks), and <1% city (Bend). A variety of river recreation sites and their proximity to US Highway 97 ( makes the section from Wickiup Dam to General Patch Bridge (RM 199) a , popular recreation area. This upper portion of the river is paralleled on both sides by forest roads. Angler access in the section from Wickiup to the north boundary of LaPine State Park Recreation Area is considered good with a number of public access sites and campgrounds located near the river. They include; Pringle Falls, Bull Bend, Tetherow. Wyeth campgrounds, and Tenino boat launch. LaPine State Park is located just upstream of Fall River. There are two private residential developments located near Wickiup Dam and Pringle Falls. Private lands adjacent to the Deschutes River between Wickiup Dam and Benham Falls in Deschutes county are intensively developed. South of Sunriver on the Deschutes River, Spring River and Little Deschutes, there are 1,242 private parcels, of which, approximately 50% have been developed (James Lewis, Deschutes County Community Development, pers. comm. 1995). Private land blocks public access at many points from Fall River to Harper Bridge. Two small Forest Service Campgrounds (Besson Camp and Big River) provide public access. The rest of the adjacent lands include the Sunriver area which is private, but accessible by the public. Many of the residences along the river have docks and. boat angling is popular. Rental canoes are available at Sun river. ( Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife Page 3 of 431 Upper Deschutes River Basin Fish Management Plan 1996 Boat ramps are located at Tenino, Bull Bend, Wyeth, Tetherow, LaPine State Park, Sunriver Marina, Pringle Falls campground, Big River campground, Harper Bridge, Besson campground, and Benham Falls campground. Below Wickiup Dam, the river is popular for canoeing with most people portaging Pringle Falls and Tetherow log jam. Harper Bridge offers launching for small boats, but has limited parking. The section from Harper Bridge to Benham Falls sustains heavy recreation use. Land ownership is primarily Deschutes National Forest upstream of LaPine State Park and private ownership downstream. The State Park consists of 2,050 acres of which 1,410 acres is undeveloped. Camping areas and other developments utilize 640 acres. The Deschutes and its tributary, Fall River, meander across the state administered park flowing generally south to north. The rivers' both encompass a number of wet meadows. Downstream of the park, private lands line the east bank of the river for about 3.5 miles. Sunriver is an unincorporated destination resort area with approximately 1,600 year-round residents and up to 10,000 visitors from Memorial Day through Labor Day (Sunriver Chamber of Commerce, 1995). Private lands adjacent to the Deschutes between Benham Falls and Bend include land within and outside the Bend Urban Growth Boundary. The Urban Growth Boundary is approximately 2 miles outside present city limits. An additional 2 miles of private land outside of this boundary exists along the river. Forest Service recreational sites with public access are located at Meadow Camp (RM 173), Lava Island (RM 176), Aspen Camp (RM 176), Dillon Falls (RM 179), Slough Camp (RM 180), and Benham Falls (RM 181). These access points provide boat and bank angler access to short stretches of water between major falls and rapids. Boats can be launched below Dillon Falls at Aspen Camp (RM 177). A two-mile whitewater run from Aspen Camp to Lava Island Falls is heavily used by kayakers and three commercial raft outf'tters. From March to October there are approximately 42,378 boat-days per year occurring from Harper Bridge (RM 192) to Central Oregon irrigation diversion (RM 171) (Oregon Water Resources Department, unpublished material, 1991 ). At least eleven rafting outfitters operate out of Bend. Boating includes use of row boats, small powered fishing boats, canoes, kayaks, and rafts. Bank angler access is good along the west bank, but lava flows and private lands along the lower four miles of the east bank limit access. Most flatwater boating occurs from Slough Camp to Dillon Falls. Recreation use besides fishing includes boating, hiking, camping, horseback riding, mountain biking, sightseeing, birdwatching, and picnicking (Oregon State Parks and Recreation, 1987). Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife Page 4 of 431 Upper Deschutes River Basin Fish Management Plan 1996 3 Tributaries ( \ Fall River is approximately 25 miles southwest of Bend. It enters the Deschutes River on the west bank at RM 205. Forest Road 42 provides the primary access. Forest Road 4360 and two private roads provide secondary access. Two gates were built by the Deschutes Mitigation and Enhancement Program in 1992 to limit access downstream of Fall River falls for resource protection. The stream is approximately 8.0 miles long and streambank ownership is approximately 59% federal (Forest Service), 38% private, and 3% state (State Parks). There is one campground near the headwaters and a guard station at the headwaters, both operated by the Forest Service. The Department's Fall River hatchery is located on the stream at approximately RM 4.75. The hatchery has operated since the late 1920's and provides legal-size trout for Central and Eastern Oregon and fingerling trout for airstocking of the Cascade high lakes. The hatchery grounds also provide angler access to Fall River. Spring River is approximately 18 miles southwest of Bend. Forest Road 40 provides primary access to the area along with several private roads. The stream is approximately 1 mile in length and enters the Deschutes River on the west bank at RM 191. Streambank ownership is approximately 20% federal f (Forest Service) and 80% private. Public access is very limited, especially from ( the bank. Spring River is accessible by boat from the Deschutes River during favorable flow conditions. Habitat and Habitat Limitations Deschutes River-Wickiup Dam to Benham Falls The Deschutes River from Wickiup Dam (RM 227) to Benham Falls (RM 181) is a low gradient (averages less than 1%), meandering stream, with the exception of Pringle Falls (RM 217). The dominant riparian vegetation types include ponderosa and lodgepole pine forests, willow thickets, and sedge meadows. Sloughs and oxbows are found throughout this section. River substrate is generally silt, sand, and pumice with an underlayer of clay and siltstone. Alluvial gravel is found mixed with these substrates. In some riffle and higher water velocity areas, gravel is the dominant substrate.