AN ANALYSIS of the NORTH FORK MATTOLE RIVER WATERSHED Presented to Douglas Jager in Fulfillment of the Requirements for W.M
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AN ANALYSIS OF THE NORTH FORK MATTOLE RIVER WATERSHED Presented To Douglas Jager In Fulfillment Of The Requirements For W.M. 220 - Watershed Analysis By Ross Carkeet June, 1967 NORTH FORK MATTOLE RIVER XATERSLIED -._ _ -- --__ u ! 0 Hydrologic mStudy Area I i _ h ’ co.= z 8CALC IN WLES \ . TABLE z CONTENTS List of Figures l **ooeee***e**ee*eeee**eo*eee***eeee*e* Iv List of Tables l e*e*ee*ebee*oee**ee***e***eo*eoeee**ee* v Yart I - Physiographic Analysis . ............... 1 Introduction l ***e****e**ee*e***eeee**ee***e*ee*e* 1 Location and Description l *oeeee*e*eeee*ee**bee*** 1 Ownership l *****ee***oeeoooeoeee*e**e*e**ee*eo**e* 2 Climate l *eeee**e*eeeee*e**o***ee*oe****oe*e*eeeee 2 Geology l **e*e**********e*eeeeeee**eee*eeeee*e*eee 4 Soils and Vegetation l ee*eeoee***eeeeeee**e**ee*ee 5 Land Classifioation l e*e**eee*eeo***eeeoeee*eeee*e 7 ,ciydrologic Characteristics of the LIatershed l *e*oo 8 Bypsometric Curve l eeeee*ee*****ob*eee*ee*ee*ee*ee 12 Other Physiographic Parameters l ***eoo*eoeeeeeeoee 12 Part II - Socio-Econonic Analysis l **eee*ee*e*e*****eee 15 Introduct ion l **ee**e**ee**e***e**ee**4***eoee***e 15 Early History of Land Use l ~o*oeeooooeoeoeoo~oeeeo 15 Present tind Use l ***eee*eeee***e*eeoee**e*****e*e 17 Petrolia Today l ***eee***e*eee**e***eeoeeee**e*ee* 18 Water Requirements l ****e*eeeeeee****o*eeeeeeeee*e 19 Recreation l e**eoe*ee****eoee*eeee*eeee***ee**e*** 20 Part III - General Problems l **e**e**e**eo*ee*ee*oe**e* 23 Introduction l e*e**eeeeo**ee*e*e*oe**ee**eee*e*e*e 23 Accessibility l ****eee*e****eee**e*e*eeeee*e*e**ee 23 TABLE g CONTENTS - CONTD. Title Paae 23 24 25 27 27 27 28 28 28 29 31 31 31 31 31 32 32 33 34 34 34 35 INTRODUCTION Puroose And Scope The intent of this study is to provide a comprehensive presentation and correspondWg analysis of available and pertinent Information in reference to the North Fork Mattole River Watershed. The analysis of this watershed is presented with no predetermined land management objective in mind. Rather, it is intended that the compiled information will be of use to anyone interested in applying specific land manage- ment objectives to a given portion of' the watershed. Thus, any current or prospective manager and user of the natural resources of the watershed will find that useful information can be gleaned from this report in relation to his present or future land management objectives and uses. The analysis will be presented in six portions: physiographic, soclo-economic , general problems, potentials of the area, resource summary, and conclusions. Because of the availability of certain information and the author's experience and interest, a major devotion of effort in the watershed analysis will be physlographic in nature. However, a consideration and discussion of certain other characteristics of the area9 such as history, problems, and biotic aspects that play an instrumental role in evaluating the feasibility and consequences of land-use activity, will be mre than superficial in the analysis. --LIST OF FIGURES Fiaure Description 1. Location Map, North Fork Iqattole River Watershed 2. Topographic and Detail y&p 2A. Access and Stream Order Overlay 39 Ownership Map 4. Monthly Distribution of Precipitation at petrolia, California From 1963 to 1965 5 Isohyetal Map 6. Geologic l%ip 7. Geologic Map (Irlith Cross-Section) of the Petrolia Oil Field 8. Soil Vegetation Map 9. Land Classification Map 9A. Land and Wate 7 Use Overlay 10. Stream Profile of the North Fork of the Mat*ole River Above Petrolia, California 11. Monthly Distribution of Runoff on the North Fork of the IGattole River at Petrolia, CalYfomia 12. Flow Duration Curve of the North Fork of the Nattole Xver at Petrolia, California 13. Hypsoqetric (Area-Elevation) Curve of the North Fork Mattole River Watershed 14. Percentage of Nmth Fork i$attole River datershed Area as Related to Percent Slme, Represented According to Aspect 15, i~~storical V@J of Petrolia Showing Present and Former Buildings 16. December 1964 Flood Plaqn and High Water Marks, North Fork Mattole River Watershed Table Description 1. Monthly and Mean Distribution of Precipitation at Petrolia, California from 1963 to 1965 2. Soil-Vegetation Clarffication for use with the North Fork Mattole fllver Watershed Soil-Vegetation bP 3. Additional Information for use with the North Fork Mittole River Watershed Soil-Vegetation Map 4. Information on Iand Classification of the North Fork Mattole River Watershed s* Physiograp h i c Watershed Parameters of the North Fork l%ttole River Watershed 6. Additional Stream Discharge Information 7. Monthly Distribution of Hunoff on the North Fork of the r/lattole River at Petrolia, California from 19524957 8. Information on the Petrolia Oil Field 9. Annual Water Requirements of the Pla,ttole Basin for the Present and the Future 10. Summary of Flor>d and Storm Damages (December 1964), Coastal Streams A. Addresses Concerning Ownership Parties Within the North Fork Mattole River Watershed B. Flow-Duration Curve Compilations c. Information used in Construction of the Hypsometric (Area-Elevation) Curve of the North Fork Mattole River Watershed -V- --PART I PHYSIOGRAPHIC (TOPOGRAPHIC) ANALYSIS Introduction To provide a more intensive and effecWve analysis of the study area, the North Fork Mattole River Watershed has been subdivided into two basins, the North Fork Basin, and the Sast Branch North Fork Basin (Fig. 2). Location And Description The 2&tn& acre North Fork giattole River datershed is located in the rugged and sparsely-populated coastal mountains of southern Humboldt County, five miles inland from the Pacific Ocean (Fig. 1). Road access to the watershed is provided throughout the year from three d3rections: south from Ferndale, west from Weott, and northwest from Garberville. All three roads are maintained County Roads, branching off from U.% Highway 101. The town of Petrolia is situated near the lower entrance of the watershed, where the North Fork empties into the main bttole River. Access within the watershed itself is facilitated by 2.1 miles of paved road, 11.6 miles of gravel road, and 33.0 miles of dirt road (Fig. 2A). Three majo r tributaries comprise the stream network in the North Fork iviattole diver Watershed. They are the following: North For% bttole diver, East Branch of the North Fork, and Sulphur Creek, located near the headwaters of the East Branch (Fig. 2). Total length of perennial streams within the watirsl&+d 1s 46.7 milk. hxording to the U.S. Geological Survey stream classification, no intermittent streams exist cl LLII m Ll K -I ILIt- 0 a t- ? t-6 > & f in the watershed (Fig. 2). Additional stream length informa- tion can be found on page A, Table 5. Figure 3 illustrates the present existing ownership pattern within the study area. All of the land within the watershed is In private ownership evcept for 40 acres of unappropriated land. The ma? displays the obvious; this being that numerous titles of ownershi? exist within the basin. However, large consolidated parcels are held by The Pacific Lumber Company and by J.L. and G. Charqbers. The diversity of ownership pattern that exists within the water- shed contributes significantly to the complexity of the manage- ment and use of the resources of the area. Diversity of owner- ship implies diversity of management objectives and specific land uses. It is more likely that widespread mj.suse and abuse of the land resources will occur in areas where ownership 1s not monopolistic, as Ml1 be explained later. Addresses of land owners within the watershed are given in Table A, appendlxe CLIMATE Temperature Published temperature data Is lackfng for the study area as well as for the immediate Mattole Valley area. An analysis of temperature data from other inland stations such as Alderpoint, or Scotia, for whkh published temperature information exists, might give reliable approximations of rzlean monthly maximum and minimum temperatures of the studs area. In general, the temp- erature characteristics of the study area are similar in nature to the coastal area of Humboldt County, where extremes between mean monthly maximum and minimum temperatures are uncommon. However, summer temperatures in the &Wale area are generally ’ higher than long the coast, because summer fog usually disappears from the area by mid-mornin:. Midsummer maximum temperatures are often in the 90% (Community of PetrolSa, 1962). Precipitation A rain gage has been located in Petrolia by the Department of dater Resources. Records began in 1958, but have only been published for the period from 1963-1965. Table 1 and Figure 4 display the >?recipitation data for the published period. Two- thirds of the mean seasonal precipitation of 62.2 inches at Petrolia occurred during this period in the four months of November, December, January, and April. June through September are characteristically drr months, during which fire hazard becomes more acute throughout the area. Figure 3 provides additional information on the mean annual precipitation of the watershed as a whole. Elevation increases eastward throughout the watershed, and as a result mean annual precipitation increases eastward to a maximum of 80 inches in the vicinity of the ridge south Qf Rainbow Peak (Rainbow Ridge). The general direction of storm movement in this area is from the southwest; thus precipitation increases in a northeasterly direction as the isotlyets of Figure 5 suggest. Mean annual precipitation for the basin is 73.0 inches (U.S.