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Overview of the Upper Klamath Lake and Agency Lake TMDL

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Overview of the Upper Upper Klamath Klamath Lake and Agency Lake Drainage Lake TMDL Upper Klamath Lake - Hanks Marsh Page 1-24 Why is DEQ doing a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL)? 1. The federal Clean Water Act requires that water quality standards are developed to protect sensitive beneficial uses. 2. Water bodies that do not meet water quality standards are designated as water quality limited and placed on the 303(d) list. 3. All 303(d) listed water bodies are required to have TMDLs that develop pollutant loading that Williamson River meet water quality standards. Page 2-24 What is a Total Maximum Daily Load? A TMDL Distributes the Allowable Pollutant Loading Between Sources TMDL = WLA + LA(NPS+Background) + MOS + RC • Waste Load Allocations (WLA) -Allowable pollutant loading from point sources • Load Allocations (LA(NPS+Background) ) - Allowable pollutant loading from nonpoint sources and natural background sources • Margin of Safety (MOS) - Portion of the pollutant load held back to account for uncertainty in the analysis. • Reserve Capacity (RC) - Portion of the pollutant Upper Klamath Lake load held back in reserve for future growth Page 3-24 Water Quality Limited Water Bodies 303(d) Listings in Red Page 4-24 Why is Phosphorus Targeted in the TMDL? Total phosphorus load reduction is the primary and most practical mechanism to reduce algal biomass and attain water quality standards for pH and dissolved oxygen. • Seasonal maximum algal growth rates are controlled primarily by phosphorus, and secondarily by light and temperature. • High phosphorus loading promotes production of algae, which, then modifies physical and chemical water quality characteristics that diminish the survival and production of fish populations. Algal Bloom in Upper Klamath Lake Page 5-24 Impacts of Poor Water Quality on Beneficial Uses Fisheries and aquatic health have suffered from poor water quality Drying sucker fish at the Lost River. Tribal fishing for "We thought nothing of suckers was stopped in the catching a five- or six-pound mid-1980’s. trout," recalls Basin resident Ivan Bold, remembering days Historically, the Karuk people of of better fishing. Fishing the Klamath River harvested fish. guides are also noting Contemporary Karuk fishermen declining catches as the continue to dip net at Ishi Pishi Basin's waterways struggle to Falls on the Klamath River. There, support the demands placed they may still harvest salmon and on them. (OWRD, 2001) winter steelhead for subsistence purposes (NCIDC Photo Gallery). Page 6-24 Mean Lake Data (Kann and Walker, 2001) Water Quality Monitoring 450 Outflow Sites – Nutrients & Flow 400 Lake (USBR, USGS, Klamath 350 Tribes, OSU, ODEQ) 300 250 S# S# W 200 Upper i l A S# l i n Klamath a n S# ie Marsh m 150 C s r o Total Phosphorus(ppb) e S n e # k Su R n W Sycan 100 S# i v C i l e l arsh i M r r S# a S# S# e S# e m 50 k S#S# S#S# S# s S# S# S#o S# S# # n S# S# S# S# R 0 W # i S v S# o# S# S S# e 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 S# o S# S#S# S# d S#S# # r # S# S# S# S#S R 400 S##iSvS#S# # Se # S S## S# r S S S# S#S S# y #S# # S## c S# S S S S# a 350 S# n S# # S# S# S R S# i S# v e 300 r S# # S# S# S# N.F. S#S# S# S# S S# S# S#S# S# S# S# S# S# S#S#S# Sprague River S# S# S# 250 S# # S# S S# S# S# S## F S# SSS# i S# S# s S# .F. 200 h S S# h S# o S# le S# # S S#S# C 150 S# r S# S# e e Chlorophyll-a (ppb) S# k S# S# 100 S# 50 pH > 9.0 pH > 9.5 0 DO < 4 DO < 6 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 10.5 100% 10.0 75% 9.5 WQ Standard 50% 9.0 pH 8.5 25% Lake WQ Standard Excursion Frequency Excursion 8.0 Frequency Excursion 0% 7.5 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 7.0 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 Page 7-24 Empirical Relationship Relating Total Phosphorus, Chlorophyll-a and pH (Walker 2001) Violations of water quality standards for pH and dissolved oxygen are directly related to algal productivity which in turn, is a function of phosphorous loading. Statistical Relationships support total phosphorus load reduction as the management goal for Upper Klamath and Agency Lakes Chlorophyll-a v. Phosphorus Yearly lake mean total phosphorus is associated with chlorophyll-a to derive a TMDL target for total phosphorus. Lake Mean pH v. Chlorophyll-a Chlorophyll-a correlates to lake mean pH. To achieve the pH standard of 9.0, a target concentration of chlorophyll-a is necessary. Page 8-24 Indications of Lake Water Quality Changes “The view of the lake as a naturally hypereutrophic system is consistent with its shallow morphology, deep organic-rich sediments, and a large watershed with phosphorus-enriched soils. However, watershed development, beginning in the late-1800’s and accelerated through the 1900’s, is strongly implicated as the cause of its current hypereutrophic character.” -Bortleson and Fretwell 1993 Sediment Core Data (Eilers 2001) Sediment Accumulation Rate (g/m2 yr) Distribution of Blue Green Algae in Sediment Core 2000 0 0 1975 5 5 1950 Aphanizomenon 1925 10 10 1900 15 1875 15 Depositional Year Sediment Depth (cm) Sediment Depth (cm) 1850 20 20 1825 1800 25 25 0 5 0 5 10 15 20 10 15 20 0% 3% 6% 9% 12% 15% Sediment core analysis demonstrates that sediment Nitrogen fixing blue-green algae accumulation rates have increased over that past are now more abundant 120 years indicating an increase in phosphorus availability Page 9-24 Total Phosphorus Loading to the Lake Total Phosphorus Load as a Function of External and Internal Loads (Walker 2001) 600 Average Annual TP Loading External Load 466 mtons/yr Internal Load 500 169 220 External Loading 400 182 mtons/yr Internal 182 208 Loading 113 208 39% of total 241 285 mtons/yr 300 61% of total 112 200 394 376 294 285 265 257 Total Phosphorus Loading (mtons/year) Loading Total Phosphorus 100 195 212 0 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 Average External Total Phosphorus Loads are Targeted as the Primary Control for AFA blooms and Corresponding pH Increases Page 10-24 Annual External Total Phosphorus Loads (Kann and Walker, 2001) External Phosphorus Load Distributions of External Phosphorus Loading, Total Inflow Current Phosphorus Load 181.6 Drainage Area and Flow Input to Upper Klamath and Total Tributary/Spring Inflow 176.7 Agency Lakes Wetland Sources Factored into Nonpoint Source Areas 100% Crooked Creek Hatchery 1.9 Ch iloq uin S TP 0.6 90% Crooked Creek Hatchery Pre cipitatio n 4.9 Springs, Ungaged Tribs & Misc Sources 18.1 80% Chiloquin STP A gricultural Pumps Directly to Lake 20.5 Precipitation 70% S eve nMile Cre ek 16.5 Springs, Ungaged Tribs & Misc Sources W ood R i ve r To ta l 35.2 60% Agricultural Pumps Directly to Lake Wood River below Weed Rd. 13.5 Wood River above Weed Rd. 21.7 50% SevenMile Creek Williamson Rive r To ta l 86.4 Wood River 40% Williamson Rive r 37.8 Sprague River Sprague River 48.7 Distribution of Total Distribution 30% Williamson River 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200 20% Total Phosphorus Load Export Area and Inflow VolumeLake to (1000 kg per year) 10% External Phosphorus Unit Area Load Portion ofExternal Phosphorus Load, Drainage 0% Total Tributary/Spring Inflow 18.6 Current Phosphorus Unit Area Load External Drainage Inflow Wetland Sources Factored into Nonpoint Source Areas Phosphorus Area Volume to Load Lake Crooked Creek Hatchery N/A Ch iloq uin S TP N/A • External sources of phosphorus are distributed Pre cipitatio n 18.0 throughout the Upper Klamath Lake drainage. Springs, Ungaged Tribs & Misc Sources 15.8 A gricultural Pumps Directly to Lake 188.2 • For simplicity, these sources are broken into S eve nMile Cre ek 156.2 source areas and that contribute directly to the W ood R i ve r To ta l 90.0 lake phosphorus levels. Wood River below Weed Rd. 237.0 Wood River above Weed Rd. 64.9 • Unit area loads can be used to identify pollutant Williamson Rive r To ta l 11.2 “hot spots” or source areas. Williamson Rive r 10.8 Sprague River 11.5 0 50 100 150 200 250 Total Phosphorus Unit Load Export Page 11-24 (kg /km 2 per year) Page 12-24 Anthropogenic External Sources of Total Phosphorus Anthropogenic sources of external loading (loading from sources other than natural background and sediments in the lake) have increased total loading to the lake via: 1) Reclaiming/draining near lake wetlands for agricultural uses. Wetland reclamation and use may account for 29% of the external total phosphorous loading to the lake (ODEQ 2001), and Agriculture Pumps on 2) Increased water yields and runoff rates in the Williamson and Reclaimed Wetlands Sprague River Drainages have been documented in the 1951-1996 period that are independent of climatic conditions (Riseley and Laenen Wood River Reclaimed Wetland at 1998). The increase in water yield is likely caused by channelization, Modoc Point Road wetland/riparian area conversions and reductions evapotranspiration in the watershed.
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