Upper Carson River Watershed Stream Corridor Condition Assessment
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Upper Carson River Watershed Stream Corridor Condition Assessment Prepared For: Alpine Watershed Group and the Sierra Nevada Alliance P. O. Box 7989 South Lake Tahoe, CA 96158 Prepared By: MACTEC Engineering and Consulting Swanson Hydrology & Geomorphology 1572 East College Parkway, Suite 162 115 Limekiln Road Carson City, Nevada 89706 Santa Cruz, California 95062 River Run Consulting C. G. Celio & Sons P.O. Box 8538 P.O. Box 734 Truckee, California 96162 Minden, Nevada 89423 June, 2004 Upper Carson River Watershed Stream Corridor Condition Assessment Copies of this report may be requested from: SIERRA NEVADA ALLIANCE P. O. BOX 7989 SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CA 96158 (530) 542-4546 MACTEC ENGINEERING & CONSULTING 1572 EAST COLLEGE PARKWAY, SUITE 162 CARSON CITY, NEVADA 89706 (775) 888-9992 Funding for this project has been provided in full or in part through a contract with the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) pursuant to the Costa-Machado Water Act of 2000 (Proposition 13) and any amendments thereto for the implementation of California’s Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Program. The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the SWRCB, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use. Upper Carson River Watershed Stream Corridor Assessment ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The Upper Carson River Watershed Stream Corridor Condition Assessment project was performed by a consulting team comprised of MACTEC Engineering and Consulting, River Run Consulting, Swanson Hydrology & Geomorphology, and C.G. Celio & Sons. MACTEC acted as the prime contractor, working directly with representatives of the Alpine Watershed Group and the Sierra Nevada Alliance. MACTEC personnel involved in the project included Charles Zeier who acted as project manager and technical editor of the report, Jacquelyn Picciani (vegetation), Dustin Waters (hydraulics), Dennis Manor (hydraulics), Ron Reno (history), Shannon Hataway (graphics), and Jay Aldean (quality control and assurance). Matt Kiesse represented River Run Consulting, while Mitch Swanson and John Dvorsky represented Swanson Hydrology & Geomorphology. Clint Celio of C.G. Celio & Sons assisted with figure preparation and GIS applications. The assessment team would like to acknowledge the time and energy given to this project by members of the Alpine Watershed Group. The following participants regularly attended Group meetings: ¾ Jim Austin and Debbi Waldear - Friends of Hope Valley ¾ Genie Azad and Ed James - Carson Water Subconservancy District ¾ Mary Bennington and Marie Barry - Washoe Tribe of California and Nevada ¾ Hal Bird - South Tahoe Public Utility District ¾ Sally Champion - U.S. Forest Service ¾ Jason Churchill - Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board ¾ Joan Clayburgh - Sierra Nevada Alliance ¾ Brad Davis - Carson River Resort, Alpine Chamber of Commerce ¾ Donald Jardine, Alpine County Commissioner ¾ Mark DeMaio, Alpine County Public Works Department ¾ Brian Peters - Alpine County Planning Department ¾ Mike Hayes - U.S. Department of Agriculture Service Center ¾ Dan Kaffer – Natural Resources Conservation Service ¾ Dick McCleary – Central Sierra Resource Conservation and Development ¾ John Cassidy, John Craik, Jim Dunn, Patty DeMaio, Margie Evans, Marlena Hellwinkel, and Rich Williams – community members Members of the Group have served as project participants and as a sounding board for products developed by the assessment team. We would also like to acknowledge the role played by Joan Clayburgh of the Sierra Nevada Alliance and Jason Churchill of the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board. Both individuals were helpful in providing information and project direction. Representatives from the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the California Department of Forestry, the California Department of Fish and Game, and Alpine County were generous with their time and information. Special thanks are given to Dick Edwards, Nancy Thornburg, and the Alpine County Museum for allowing us access to their photographic archive. June 2004 Page i Upper Carson River Watershed Stream Corridor Assessment TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS..............................................................................................................................i TABLE OF CONTENTS...............................................................................................................................ii LIST OF FIGURES........................................................................................................................................v LIST OF TABLES.........................................................................................................................................vi Executive Summary.............................................................................................................................. vii 1. Introduction ..........................................................................................................................................1 1.1 PROJECT GOALS ..........................................................................................................................................................1 1.2 REPORT FORMAT.........................................................................................................................................................3 1.3 HOW TO USE THIS DOCUMENT ................................................................................................................................3 2. Watershed Geomorphic Processes....................................................................................................5 2.1 GEOLOGIC INFLUENCES ON GEOMORPHIC PROCESS ...........................................................................................6 2.1.1 Glacial Morphology.............................................................................................................................................10 2.2 HYDROLOGIC INFLUENCES ON GEOMORPHIC PROCESS ....................................................................................10 2.2.1 Precipitation........................................................................................................................................................10 2.2.2 Peak Flows.........................................................................................................................................................11 2.2.3 Low Flows..........................................................................................................................................................17 2.3 EROSION AND SEDIMENT SUPPLY..........................................................................................................................17 2.3.1 Geologic Influence................................................................................................................................................17 2.3.2 Climatological Influences......................................................................................................................................20 2.3.3 Mass Sediment Movement ...................................................................................................................................20 2.3.4 Proximity to Sediment Supply .............................................................................................................................21 2.4 NATURAL GEOMORPHIC DYNAMISM .....................................................................................................................21 2.4.1 Equilibrium........................................................................................................................................................23 2.4.1.1 Resistance to Change................................................................................................................................23 2.4.1.2 Resilience Following Disturbance...........................................................................................................23 2.5 CHARACTERIZING DYNAMISM OF THE HISTORIC CHANNEL .............................................................................23 2.6 CHANNEL SEDIMENT TRANSPORT, EROSION AND DEPOSITION ......................................................................28 2.6.1 Transport Channels ............................................................................................................................................28 2.6.2 Confined Response Channels ...............................................................................................................................28 2.6.3 Unconfined Response Channels............................................................................................................................29 2.7 CHANNEL AND FLOODPLAIN MORPHOLOGY.......................................................................................................29 2.7.1 The Role of Woody Debris ..................................................................................................................................32 2.7.2 Beaver.................................................................................................................................................................33 2.8 VEGETATION DYNAMICS.........................................................................................................................................35