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Clackamas Basin: DEQ’S Water Quality Status and Trends Analysis for the Oregon Department of Agriculture’S Biennial Review of the Agricultural Area Rules and Plans

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Clackamas Basin: DEQ’S Water Quality Status and Trends Analysis for the Oregon Department of Agriculture’S Biennial Review of the Agricultural Area Rules and Plans Clackamas Basin: DEQ’s Water Quality Status and Trends Analysis for the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s Biennial Review of the Agricultural Area Rules and Plans February 2017 Water Quality Program 700 NE Multnomah Suite #600 Portland, OR 97232 Phone: 503-229-5696 800-452-4011 Fax: 503-229-5850 Contact: Koto Kishida www.oregon.gov/DEQ DEQ is a leader in restoring, maintaining and enhancing the quality of Oregon’s air, land and water. Oregon Department of Environmental Quality This report prepared by: Oregon Department of Environmental Quality 700 NE Multnomah Ste #600 Portland, OR 97232 1-800-452-4011 www.oregon.gov/deq Contact: Koto Kishida 503-229-6381 Documents can be provided upon request in an alternate format for individuals with disabilities or in a language other than English for people with limited English skills. To request a document in another format or language, call DEQ in Portland at 503-229-5696, or toll-free in Oregon at 1-800-452-4011, ext. 5696; or email [email protected]. State of Oregon Department of Environmental Quality ii Table of Contents Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 2 Purpose ................................................................................................................................................ 2 Basin Contact ...................................................................................................................................... 2 Background Information ..................................................................................................................... 2 Geographic Area for Analysis ............................................................................................................. 3 1. Methods ................................................................................................................................................... 5 1.1 Data Sources .............................................................................................................................................. 5 1.2 Decision Criteria ........................................................................................................................................ 5 1.3 Analysis ...................................................................................................................................................... 6 2. Results ...................................................................................................................................................... 8 2.1 Land Use ........................................................................................................................................................... 8 2.2 Water Quality Limited Stream Segments ....................................................................................................... 12 2.3 E. coli .............................................................................................................................................................. 13 2.4 pH ................................................................................................................................................................... 13 2.5 Temperature .................................................................................................................................................... 17 2.6 Dissolved Oxygen ........................................................................................................................................... 21 3. Conclusions ............................................................................................................................................ 29 Appendix A ................................................................................................................................................ 32 State of Oregon Department of Environmental Quality 1 Introduction Purpose Area rules and plans have been adopted by the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) for the Clackamas Basin management area (603-095-1200-1280). Oregon statute and administrative rules require ODA to consult with the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) during the biennial review of Agricultural Water Quality Management Area Rules and Plans (ORS 568.930). DEQ Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) and Nonpoint Source (NPS) program staff conduct these reviews based on ODA’s biennial review schedule of their area rules and plans1. ODA’s Agriculture Water Quality Program is outcome based, explicitly describing prohibited conditions, similar to DEQ’s TMDL and NPS programs which explicitly define water quality targets and goals. The analysis of landscape conditions and water quality data is used for implementing these programs as well as identifying data gaps. The purpose of this document is to present data and analysis that will help DEQ fulfill its roles in the biennial review process described in the Memorandum of Agreement between ODA and DEQ1. This document supports the following DEQ tasks identified in the MOA: • Review available data for water quality trends and whether waterbodies are achieving water quality standards and meeting TMDL agricultural load allocations • Evaluate and provide comment to ODA on the suitability of landscape conditions to achieve TMDL agricultural load allocations. This report presents an analysis of water quality data readily accessible from public databases and available in sufficient quantity to indicate status and trends. Additional data may exist but was not readily available at the time this report was compiled. DEQ will use available water quality data to answer the following questions: • What is the status of water quality parameters downstream of agricultural land? • What is the trend in water quality at key locations downstream of agricultural land? • Are sites downstream of agricultural land meeting TMDL agricultural load allocations? DEQ basin coordinators review pertinent information including this report as part of ODA’s biennial review. DEQ basin coordinators recommend changes and additional data and resources necessary to achieve water quality standards and meet TMDL agricultural load allocations through ODA’s survey. Basin Contact Table 1- Basin coordinator contact information Basin Coordinator Telephone Email Karen Williams 503-229-6254 [email protected] Background Information The Willamette River TMDL (2006) includes ODA’s Clackamas water quality management area and focuses on temperature, bacteria, and mercury2. As part of the TMDL process, Oregon Department of 1 https://www.oregon.gov/ODA/shared/Documents/Publications/NaturalResources/DEQODAmoa.pdf State of Oregon Department of Environmental Quality 2 Agriculture was identified as the Designated Management Agency for agricultural components of the TMDL. The Clackamas Agricultural Water Quality Management Area Plans serve as the TMDL implementation plans. Load allocations are included for temperature, bacteria, and mercury on agricultural lands (See tables 3 Clackamas AgWQ Management Area Plan and 6.3, 6.13, and 3.1, Willamette River TMDL3). Geographic Area for Analysis The predominant land use in the Management Area is forestry, most of it occurring on federal lands in the eastern part of the Management Area. Fifty-four percent of land in the Subbasin is USFS National Forest Land. In the valley portions of the Management Area, the dominant land use is rural and agriculture. Urban and suburban areas concentrate in the lower 8 miles of the Clackamas watershed, but suburban areas have expanded in recent years in watersheds tributary to the lower Clackamas mainstem. Most of the farmland is located in the western portion of the Management Area, upstream from Oregon City and extending toward Sandy and Estacada in the Clackamas Subbasin. The Management Area also encompasses agricultural land in the middle Willamette Subbasin, near the city of Wilsonville. The majority of agricultural lands are located on rolling hills and high terraces with somewhat to well-drained soils. A portion of the agricultural land is artificially drained4. 2 https://www.oregon.gov/deq/wq/tmdls/Pages/TMDLs-Willamette-Basin.aspx 4 https://www.oregon.gov/ODA/shared/Documents/Publications/NaturalResources/ClackamasAWQMAreaPlan.pdf State of Oregon Department of Environmental Quality 3 Figure 1-The Clackamas Basin Agricultural Water Quality Management area (ODA) State of Oregon Department of Environmental Quality 4 1. Methods 1.1 Data Sources Analysts retrieved data from DEQ, EPA (STORET) and USGS (NWIS) databases. The time period for the query was from January 1, 2000 to January 1, 2017. Parameters included in the query were temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, and bacteria. The data returned were evaluated for data quality. DEQ data included A and B level data determined following the DEQ’s Laboratory Quality Manual5. EPA and USGS data were included unless result comments indicated problems with the data. Recent data (after April 1, 2016) from the USGS was marked as provisional data and included in this analysis. 1.2 Decision Criteria Status and long-term trends of the data were assessed for evaluating water quality in relation to water quality standards or TMDL allocations. Figure 2 illustrates the decision process DEQ follows when evaluating data sufficiency. Stations that fit the criteria were sent to DEQ basin coordinator and the basin coordinator had an opportunity to suggest
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