Stemple Creek Watershed Water Quality Analysis
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Stemple Creek Watershed Water Quality Analysis prepared for USDA Conservation Effectiveness Assessment Program prepared by University of California Cooperative Extension, County of Sonoma and University of California, Davis Land Air and Water Resources and Plant Sciences Departments January 2008 Project Team David Lewis, UCCE Watershed Management Advisor Kenneth W. Tate, UCD Watershed Hydrology Specialist Michael Lennox, Watershed Research Associate Miguel Huerta, Project Field Technician Betsy Huang, Project Laboratory Technician Hattie Brown, Project Laboratory Technician Randy Dahlgren, UCD Professor of Biogeochemistry Reference report as: Lewis, D.J., K.W. Tate, M.S. Lennox, M.Huerta, B. Huang, H. Brown, and R. Dahlgren. Stemple Creek Water Quality Analysis. Prepared for US Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service Conservation Effectiveness Assessment Program. University of California Davis, Land, Air, and Water Resources and Plant Sciences Department and University of California Cooperative Extension, County of Sonoma. Santa Rosa, California. 48 pgs. Acknowledgements: Project accomplishments would not be possible without the support and collaboration of the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s State and Petaluma Field Offices and the Southern Sonoma County and Marin Resource Conservation Districts. In particular, the contributions from Vern Finney, Watershed Planning Geologist (retired), Charlette Epifanio, District Conservationist and Paul Scheffer, Engineering Technician were critical in forming the project team and forging effective working relationships with producers in the Stemple Creek Watershed. Cover photos: Flotsam demarking stream stage height during the December 31, 2005 storm event (upper). Study site instrumentation with an ISCO auto sampler and YSI Data Sonde. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction.........................................................................................................4 Methods ...............................................................................................................6 Site Description ........................................................................................................................................ 6 Site Instrumentation................................................................................................................................. 7 2004-2005............................................................................................................................................. 7 2005-5006............................................................................................................................................. 7 Sample Collection.................................................................................................................................... 7 2004-2005............................................................................................................................................. 7 2005-2006............................................................................................................................................. 8 Sample Analysis ...................................................................................................................................... 8 Analytical Methods............................................................................................................................... 9 QA/QC protocols................................................................................................................................10 Results and Discussion ...................................................................................12 Precipitation and Stream Discharge ................................................................................................... 12 Laboratory Analysis............................................................................................................................... 15 YSI Sondes............................................................................................................................................. 19 Loads....................................................................................................................................................... 22 Summary ...........................................................................................................25 References ........................................................................................................27 Appendix A........................................................................................................29 Appendix B........................................................................................................31 Appendix C........................................................................................................35 Appendix D........................................................................................................40 Appendix E ........................................................................................................43 iii INTRODUCTION Stemple Creek is a California coastal watershed approximately 40 miles northwest of San Francisco. The headwaters begin west of the City of Petaluma, flowing to the Estero de San Antonio and the Pacific Ocean. This estuary is included as part of the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. Land-use history in the 52.5 square mile watershed included cereal crop and potato production from the 1850s to the early 1900s. This was in conjunction with and then replaced by livestock grazing and dairy production to the present. Since the 1970s, water and habitat quality in Stemple Creek Watershed has received increased attention. In 1990, the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) listed the watershed as impaired for nutrients and dissolved oxygen under Section 303 (d) of the United States of America Clean Water Act. This attention and designation have lead to water quality investigations, as well as delivery of educational, technical and financial resources to agricultural managers for improving water quality in the watershed. Regional Board staff conducted water quality sampling and analysis for nutrients, pH, and dissolved oxygen in 1992 and 1993 at 12 sampling locations (Winchester et al., 1995). In general, results from this investigation indicated that nutrient concentrations decreased in a downstream direction. Staff concluded that un-ionized ammonia concentrations in Stemple Creek exceeded national criterion throughout the watershed at different times of the year. Specifically, acute toxic concentrations were documented during spring sampling rounds and were attributed to the interaction of nutrient loading from dairy manure and increased stream temperature. It was noted, however, that concentrations from this study were lower than results from 1988 to 1992 (Prunuske Chatham, Inc., 1994). From 1991 to 2002, the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) conducted biweekly water quality monitoring during winter months (Rugg, 2003). Results from this program indicated that concentrations of un-ionized ammonia were initially above toxic values. Measured concentrations decreased during the monitoring program period. Results from this program were shared monthly at the Sonoma-Marin Animal Resources Committee which in turn worked with ranchers and farmers located above sampling sites to improve manure management and its potential impacts on Stemple Creek. Water quality studies and monitoring for sediment within the watershed have been limited. There are, however, a few studies that identify trends in sedimentation and provide direction for implementation of practices to improve water quality. Underlying geology of the watershed includes marine sediments of the Franciscan and Wilson formations that result in fine sandy and silt loam soils (Miller, 1972; Kashiwagi, 1985). In 2002 and 2003, Ritchie et al. (2004) documented sedimentation rates from 1954 to the present. Their results indicate that rates from 1954 to 1967 are greater than those from 1968 to the present. Explanations for this change in rates include the transition from row crop agriculture to livestock agriculture in the 1930s and 1940s. Local farmers and ranchers participated in water quality education programs during the 1980s and 1990s. These have been organized and implemented by University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE), United States Department of Agriculture’s Stemple Creek Watershed 4 CEAP Water Quality Analysis Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and both the Southern Sonoma and Marin Resource Conservation Districts (RCD). These included the Dairy Quality Assurance Program, Ranch Water Quality Planning Shortcourse (Rilla et al. 1995) and others. Producers participating in those programs are now cooperating with the two RCDs to implement water quality improving practices and measures through a program funded by State bond measures. In addition, the Petaluma Field and California State offices of the NRCS are shepherding an application for over five million dollars of implementation assistance for such efforts through the Public Law 566 process (NRCS, 2004). In addition, farmer and rancher application for technical and financial assistance through the NRCS’ Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) continues annually. The earlier water quality investigations, by RWQCB and CDFG, indicate that there has been some improvement to water