3. Region Description 3.1 Introduction This Section of the Upper
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Upper Sacramento, McCloud, and Lower Pit Watersheds Integrated Regional Water Management Plan 3. Region Description 3.1 Introduction This section of the Upper Sacramento, McCloud, and Lower Pit Region (USR) IRWM plan constitutes the region description for that plan. The description provides an introduction to water-related resources, infrastructure, management programs, and many issues concerning water resources in this IRWM region. This is done with the intent of helping to establish the context of issues and community needs, many of which will be addressed in various ways by projects to be proposed by local agencies and concerned property owners and organizations. This region description is not intended to be a comprehensive assessment of those resources and issues. It is acknowledged that many specialized studies have been and will need to be prepared to provide a more complete evaluation of many of the topics introduced in this section. Drafting of this region description has relied upon a variety of informative documents including watershed assessments and analyses that have been prepared for specific areas within this region. In fact, this region description would do well to incorporate by reference many of the studies that have been prepared. With that point in mind, it is appropriate to begin this region description with recognition and acknowledgement of some of the key assessments that have been prepared for this region. Following is a list of watershed analyses or basically equivalent “ecosystem analyses” that have been prepared by the Shasta-Trinity National Forest covering areas that are located completely or partially within the USR. Nearly all of these analyses are available on the website maintained by the Shasta- Trinity National Forest (http://www.fs.usda.gov/main/stnf/landmanagement/planning). A more complete explanation of the watershed analysis process will be included in this region description: 1. Mount Shasta Watershed Analysis 2. Lower McCloud Watershed Analysis 3. Squaw Valley Creek Watershed Analysis 4. Edson Watershed Analysis 5. Pit Arm Shasta Lake Watershed Analysis 6. Porcupine Watershed Analysis 7. Headwaters Sacramento River Ecosystem Analysis 8. Shasta Lake West Watershed Analysis 9. Squaw Creek Watershed Analysis 10. McCloud Arm Watershed Analysis 11. Bartle Watershed Analysis 12. Shotgun-Slate Watershed Analysis 13. Iron Canyon Watershed Analysis 14. McCloud Flats Ecosystem Analysis 15. Upper Sacramento River (Castle/Soda Creek area – not on website) The Modoc National Forest also prepared a watershed analysis for the ‘Medicine Lake Highlands’ in 1999 (available as of 11/2013 at http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/ stelprdb5380154.pdf). In addition to the watershed analyses that have been prepared by the Forest Service, there are a couple of watershed assessments that have been prepared by non-federal sources. As noted throughout this section of the IRWM plan, this Region Description draws heavily upon information in the Upper Sacramento River Watershed Assessment and Management Strategy. The watershed study area was the watershed of the Upper Sacramento River from the headwaters of the river to Shasta Lake Reservoir. The watersheds Chapter 3 – Region Description Page 3-1 Upper Sacramento, McCloud, and Lower Pit Watersheds Integrated Regional Water Management Plan of the McCloud and Pit Rivers, which flow into the Sacramento River at the reservoir and are part of the larger Sacramento River Watershed, were not included in the Upper Sacramento River watershed boundary for the purposes of that assessment. However, much of the regional information from that assessment can be applied to describe the character of many resources in the greater region. That assessment was funded by the State of California through a Proposition 50 grant, via the CALFED Watershed Program. The River Exchange in partnership with California Trout, the U.S. Forest Service, Shasta Valley Resource Conservation District, Western Shasta Resource Conservation District, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service obtained the grant funds. The Department of Water Resources was the state agency responsible for administering the grant funds, and the River Exchange was responsible for managing the project. Another watershed analysis, the Lake Siskiyou Watershed Assessment (2004), was prepared under the direction of the Siskiyou County Planning Department. The area considered as the Lake Siskiyou watershed is generally the watershed of the Upper Sacramento River above Box Canyon Dam in southern Siskiyou County. The area is bounded by Mt. Shasta to the north, Mt. Eddy on the west, Lake Siskiyou on the south/southeast, and the City of Mt. Shasta to the northeast. The Mount Shasta Springs 2009 Summary Report, published in 2010 by California Trout, reported findings of a study on general water quality and geochemical parameters, recharge area, age, and vulnerability of springs that originate on and below the slopes of Mount Shasta. The study was conducted and evaluated by a collaboration of California Trout, AquaTerra Consulting, the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences, and other project partners. The spring waters study was conducted from 2007-2009, and the report was published in 2010. A related vulnerability rating report concerning the springs was published in 2011 as an addendum to the study. In addition, the Mount Shasta Bioregional Ecology Center (MSBEC) commissioned a 2014 study of the Medicine Lake Highlands by Dr. Robert Curry, Emeritus Professor of geology at UC Santa Cruz and adjunct professor of earth systems science at CSU Monterey Bay. That report, California’s Water Future – Hydrological Risks to the Medicine Lake Volcano Aquifers Associated with Geothermal Development (Curry 2014), describes the importance of the Medicine Lake Highlands to California water supplies. 3.2 Regional and Internal Boundaries 3.2.1 Regional Boundaries and General Description The Upper Sacramento-McCloud-Pit River IRWM Region, referred to in this document as USR, includes the entire watersheds of the Upper Sacramento River and the McCloud River from the headwaters of these watersheds to where the rivers flow into Shasta Lake Reservoir (see figure 3.1). This planning region also includes the watershed area that flows directly into the Lower Pit River, which is the portion of the Pit River below Lake Britton to the surface of the reservoir; but does not include the watershed above and draining into Lake Britton. The USR also includes the area commonly known as the Medicine Lake Highlands. Surface waters of the Medicine Lake Highlands flow into the USR via the Lower Pit River, and the groundwater resources represent a significant recharge area via springs into Fall River, which is a tributary to the Upper Pit River and, ultimately, to the Lower Pit. The region was identified by the three main watersheds due to their unity as tributaries to Shasta Lake Reservoir, as well as the common challenges and opportunities faced throughout these three watersheds. The Medicine Lake Highlands were identified as an important source water area and spiritual and cultural region for both the USR and the Upper Pit IRWM Plan. It was included in the USR boundaries because of the surface water flow contributions to the McCloud River (ground water flows contribute to Fall River, which is a tributary to the Upper Pit River). Page 3-2 Chapter 3 – Region Description Upper Sacramento, McCloud, and Lower Pit Watersheds Integrated Regional Water Management Plan Below Shasta Dam and Keswick Dam, the waters that originated from the USR subsequently contribute in part to the greater Sacramento River. The USR is located within southern Siskiyou County and northern Shasta County. 3.2.2 Physical Boundaries and Significant Water Resource Features As noted above, the USR consists of the watersheds of the Upper Sacramento River and the McCloud River, includes the Lower Pit River area, and includes the area known as the Medicine Lake Highlands. Each of these watersheds and subareas, including their physical boundaries and significant water resource features, are described in more detail below. The Upper Sacramento River Watershed The watershed for the Upper Sacramento River itself (as a distinct watershed within the USR) is approximately 600 square miles in size. It has a northern boundary that is dominated by Mount Shasta (the highest mountain in California at 14,179 feet), Black Butte, and Mount Eddy, and a southern boundary that terminates at the waters of Shasta Lake Reservoir. On the west the watershed is bounded by the Sacramento/Trinity River watershed divide, which includes the Eddy and Trinity Mountains. To the east, it is separated from the McCloud River watershed by physical features including Everitt Hill, Snowman’s Hill, Girard Ridge, Tombstone Mountain, High Mountain, Hanland Peak and O’Brien Mountain. Many small natural alpine lakes are scattered along the crest of the Upper Sacramento and Trinity River watershed divide, including Castle Lake, Grey Rock Lake, Cliff Lake, Toad Lake, and others. The most significant reservoir in this watershed is Lake Siskiyou, which lies behind Box Canyon Dam. This reservoir, with a surface area of approximately 430 acres, represents the only impoundment on the Upper Sacramento River between the headwaters and Shasta Lake Reservoir. The annual monthly mean flow of the Upper Sacramento River at its Delta above Shasta Lake reservoir is 1,198 cfs. The McCloud River Watershed The McCloud River watershed covers approximately 800 square miles. The headwaters of the McCloud River include Colby Meadows, from which the river flows approximately 50 miles southwesterly to Shasta Lake Reservoir. However, the McCloud River is also fed by springs along its run, such as McCloud Big Springs with an average discharge of 600 cubic feet per second. The McCloud Basin drains the eastern and northeastern ridges of Mount Shasta, and in the north is bounded by Military Pass (just south of Whaleback Mountain), Ash Creek Butte, Dry Creek Peak, Rainbow Mountain, and Stephens Butte. This watershed is bounded on the west by the ridges that divide it from the Upper Sacramento River watershed, as described above.