Upper Deschutes Subbasin Assessment August 2003
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Upper Deschutes Subbasin Assessment August 2003 By Kolleen E. Yake EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Upper Deschutes Subbasin Assessment began work in 2002 as a project of the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council. From its inception, the assessment has been a cooperative venture with multiple partners, participants, and advisors. Funding for the project came from grants received from the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. In-kind donations of time, technical assistance, contract services, and equipment were generously contributed to the project by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, Deschutes National Forest, the Deschutes Resources Conservancy, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Bureau of Land Management, OSU-Cascades, the Nature Conservancy, the Oregon Water Resources Department, Deschutes County Soil and Water Conservation District, and GeoSpatial Solutions among many others. The purpose of the Upper Deschutes Subbasin Assessment was to gather together existing data and information on all the historic and current conditions that play a role in impacting the watershed health of the subbasin. The details, recommendations, and data gaps discussed within the assessment will assist the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council and other natural resource managers in the area identify key restoration projects and opportunities to enhance fish and wildlife habitat and water quality in the subbasin. By combining all of the existing available information on watershed resources, the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council hopes to raise community awareness about the interconnections and impacts within the whole Upper Deschutes Subbasin system. The key findings and recommendations within the assessment identify and prioritize opportunities for voluntary actions that are directed toward improving fish and wildlife habitat and water quality. Key Findings Water Quantity The current stream flow regime in the upper Deschutes River is substantially different than it was prior to the management of Deschutes water for widespread irrigation purposes. Winter flows below Wickiup Reservoir are much lower than they were prior to the construction and operation of the reservoir and summer flows below the City of Bend are much lower then they were before irrigation diversions were put in place. As irrigation season begins in the spring, high water releases out of Wickiup can scour sediment from stream banks that have been dewatered in the winter. Water Quality There are many sections of the upper Deschutes River that do not meet the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality’s water quality standards for either temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, sedimentation, turbidity, or chlorophyll a. Water quality conditions in the Upper Deschutes Subbasin are inextricably linked to water quantity and _____________________________________________________________________________________ Upper Deschutes Watershed Council i flow levels. Temperature, dissolved oxygen, and pH are affected by low flow conditions in the subbasin. Fish Low winter flows below Wickiup Reservoir and low summer flows below the City of Bend contribute to poor water quality conditions that are inhospitable for fish. Dewatered in the winter, part of the streambed and the stream banks below Wickiup are exposed to the effects of freezing and thawing. Trout redds are dewatered and the stream banks become more vulnerable to erosion when the flows increase in the spring. Similarly, low flows in the summer months impact fish habitat and water quality below Bend. At the same time as summer low flows, water temperatures below Bend exceed the state’s temperature standard during the summer salmonid rearing period. Bull trout are currently listed as a Threatened species. Indigenous to the Upper Deschutes Subbasin, numbers of bull trout declined following the construction and operation of Wickiup and Crane Prairie Reservoirs. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed to designate sections of the Deschutes River and Odell Lake as critical habitat for bull trout. Riparian Areas The stream banks between Wickiup Reservoir and the City of Bend are eroding at a rapid rate. The artificially low winter river flows and high summer flows of the upper Deschutes River have accelerated lateral erosion of the stream banks. Stream bank erosion can cause channel instability, land loss, diminished water quality, and riparian habitat loss. Wildlife There are two key elk habitats adjacent to the upper Deschutes River. In this area, the Deschutes River provides a reliable water supply, valuable food sources, and secure calving areas for elk. This elk habitat is vulnerable to fragmentation from land development and land management activities. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Upper Deschutes Watershed Council ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS A hearty thanks to all of the valuable partners who have contributed to the process and product of the Upper Deschutes Subbasin Assessment. First and foremost, the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council would like to thank the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation for providing the primary funding for the assessment. Thanks to Bonnie Lamb of the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality for her technical advice and participation on the assessment steering committee as well as the technical advisory committee. Thanks to Marc Wilcox, Forest Hydrologist for the Deschutes National Forest, for his hydrologic tales and anecdotes as well as for his technical support and participation in the steering committee and technical advisory committee. Additional thanks goes to UDWC Water Quality Specialist, Nancy Breuner for her daily water quality wisdom and participation on the steering committee and technical advisory committee. A special thanks to Ryan Houston, UDWC Executive Director and helpful advisor, steering committee participant, and technical advisory committee member. An extra special thanks goes to OSU-Cascades Natural Resources Professor Bob Ehrhart who donated over 100 hours of professional guidance, field-work support, natural resource anecdotes, and priceless pearls of wisdom to the Upper Deschutes River Bank Stability Characterization. A number of other key players who contributed a great deal of time and technical assistance to the assessment process include Jonathan LaMarche, Regional Hydrologist for the Oregon Water Resource Department; Mollie Chaudet, Project Manager of the Upper Deschutes Resource Management Plan for the Bureau of Land Management; Louis Wasniewski, Forest Hydrologist for the Deschutes National Forest; Tom Walker, Fisheries Biologist for the Deschutes National Forest; Elwin Ross of the Deschutes Soil and Water Conservation District and UDWC board member; Katie Grenier, Forest Botanist for the Deschutes National Forest; Patrick Griffiths, Water Program Specialist for the City of Bend; Darcy McNamara, UDWC board member, editor for The Bend Riverway, and brilliant citizen at large; Nate Dachtler, Fisheries Biologist for the Deschutes National Forest; Roger Prowell, Assistant Supervisor for the Water Department for the City of Bend; Steve Marx, Fisheries Biologist for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife; Dan Rife, Fisheries Program Manager for the Deschutes National Forest; and Elmer McDaniels of Tumalo Irrigation District. The maps for the assessment were created by GeoSpatial Solutions. A distinctive thank you to GIS Analyst Mark Garner for donating extra hours and headaches to the careful delineation of subbasin features and GIS layers for the Upper Deschutes Subbasin maps. The Upper Deschutes Subbasin Assessment benefited greatly due to the substantial contributions, comments, and reviews from its technical advisory committee. This committee reviewed technical data within the assessment and included members and _____________________________________________________________________________________ Upper Deschutes Watershed Council iii partners from the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, Deschutes National Forest, Oregon Water Resources Department, Bureau of Land Management, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Deschutes County Soil and Water Conservation District, GeoSpatial Solutions, PBS Environmental, Oregon Department of Forestry, Natural Resource Conservation Service, the City of Bend, Deschutes County, and the Upper Deschutes Watershed Council. Additional thanks to the Deschutes Resources Conservancy for helpful donations of equipment and river time assessing the stream bank conditions on the Upper Deschutes. Thank you, Scott McCaulou and Ray Hartwell. A kind thanks to the three interns who donated a great deal of time and attention to the Upper Deschutes River Bank Stability Characterization; Alasia Heinritz and Matt Maloney for their many hours collecting data in the field on the Upper Deschutes River, and Deb Quinlan for her many hours entering data in a computer lab for the GIS component of the study. Last but not least, a thank you goes out to all of the other gracious donations of time, advice, and answers from the many interested landowners, community members, organizations, and agency folks who care a great deal about the beautiful place that is the Upper Deschutes Subbasin. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Upper Deschutes Watershed Council iv Abbreviations and Acronyms BLM Bureau of Land Management BOR Bureau of Reclamation C Celsius F Fahrenheit