Puyallup Watershed Assessment

Lorin Reinelt King County Water and Land Resources

December 6, 2013 PRWC Annual Meeting Watershed Assessment Overview • Historical Watershed Conditions • Historical Conditions –Pre‐European • Post – 1850 European Settlement • Socio‐economic, Cultural and Land Use Conditions • Geology, Geomorphology, and Human Changes • Hydrology and Water Use • Aquatic Habitat and Fish Populations • Water Quality • Flooding and Floodplain Management • Resource Lands –Forests and Agriculture • Key Watershed Features

PRWC Retreat Puyallup Watershed Overview

• Area = 1040+ square miles • Major Basins: White, Carbon, Puyallup, South Prairie, Greenwater • Highest Elev. = 14,411 feet • Largest trib. ‐ White River = 475 sq. miles; 25% in King County • Chinook populations: – White River spring – Puyallup River fall

PRWC Annual Meeting Historical Watershed Conditions

• Mt. Rainier Osceola mudflow – 5,600 years ago • Great floods reworked the river valleys and deltas • 3,000 to 5,000 years ago – “changing habitat and evolving Pacific salmon converged into ecological harmony” • Puyallup (S’Puyalupubsh) people – “generous and welcoming” • Commencement Bay mudflats and salt marshes

PRWC Annual Meeting Historical Conditions –Pre‐European

• Puyallup and Carbon River valleys had complex networks of sloughs, ponds, wetlands, and tributary streams, and extensive riparian forests • Puyallup estuary at Commencement Bay – 2600 acres of tidal marshes and mudflats • Chinook salmon population –estimated at up to 78,000 (~ 690,000 in Puget Sound)

Hamma- Elwa Cedar Dose-Duck 4% 2% 3% Stilla- Dungeness guamish 2% 8% Duwamish / Green Snohomish 5% 20% Nisqually 8%

Skokomish Nooksack 3% 9%

Puyallup / Skagit White 25% 11% Watershed Area PRWC Annual Meeting Historical Conditions –Pre‐European

• “The fundamental concept of the immortality of the salmon and the related desire not to offend it and endanger its return was a driving force in the spirituality of the Puyallup people.” 1877 • The First Salmon Ceremony was a major celebration • Salmon made up 80‐90% of the Puyallup Indians’ year‐round diet • Tribes developed techniques and methods to efficiently harvest and sustainably manage available food resource

PRWC Annual Meeting Historical Conditions: 1850 – 1900s

• European settlement began ~1850 • Puyallup became farming center because river valley provided flat, rich farm land • Puyallup, Orting, Sumner, and Fife were located in the floodplain • Carbonado and Wilkeson develop around coal mining operations in upper basin • Timber industry centralized in Tacoma where port enabled easy transport of logs • 1865 – Meeker family planted hops • 1875 –Coal discovered in Wilkeson • 1884 – Railroad reached Sumner

PRWC Annual Meeting Historical Conditions: 1850 – 1900s

• 1890 –Tacoma population = 36,000 • 1904 – Hydroelectric plant (Electron) • 1906‐7 –White River diverted to Puyallup • 1909 –Puget Sound Power and Light Co. diversion of White River • 1918 –Port District of Tacoma formed • 1919 – Puyallup River Channelization • 1933 –Major flood on Puyallup River • 1937 –U.S. Congress Flood Control Act • 1948 –Mud Mountain Dam on White Ri. • 1960s –Major levee construction

PRWC Annual Meeting Habitat Degradation/Fish Population Decline

• Extensive urban growth, heavy industry, a large modern marine port, an extensive revetment/levee system and agriculture combined to significantly alter the natural landscape. (Kerwin 1999) • Since 1967, run sizes of Chinook, coho, pink, chum, and winter steelhead have been highly variable • White River Chinook bottomed out in mid‐1980s; Tribal Chinook recovery program initiated

PRWC Annual Meeting Geology and Geomorphology

• Puyallup Watershed formed by tectonic, glacial and volcanic activity • Volcanic activity in Cascade Range began 27 million years ago • Mt. Rainier formed between 600,000 and 400,000 years ago • Vashon stage of Fraser Glaciation – 16,000 years ago • Alpine glaciers carved U‐shaped valleys that form upper and middle reaches of the White, Puyallup, and Carbon River valleys

PRWC Annual Meeting Geology and Geomorphology • Three geomorphic variables that contribute to character of rivers in the Puyallup watershed: (1) gradient, (2) sediment supply, and (3) hydrology • Mt. Rainier creates high slopes for watershed draining mountain • Physical and chemical weathering result in abundant sediment supply • Rate of sediment transport linked to climate, rainfall, and runoff • High runoff and flood flows transport large amounts of sediment • Glacial Rivers: Puyallup, White, Carbon; Non‐glacial rivers: Greenwater, Clearwater and South Prairie

PRWC Annual Meeting Major River Basins

PRWC Annual Meeting Hydrology and Water Use • Hydrologic conditions, instream flows and water supply/use • Amount and timing of runoff and stream flows –influenced by precipitation, groundwater and surface water runoff and interactions, glaciers and meltwater, and seasonal conditions that affect evapotranspiration, and soil and vegetation conditions • Annual precipitation: 30‐40 inches near Tacoma; 120 inches in Cascades • Puyallup River = 3000 cfs MAF • Largest flood (1933) = 57,000 cfs • Three dams:

– Mud Mountain Dam –RM 29.6 White Ri.

– Buckley Diversion Dam –RM 24.3 White

– Electron Diversion Dam – Upper Puyallup

PRWC Annual Meeting Mud Mountain Dam

PRWC Annual Meeting Electron and Buckley Diversion Dams

PRWC Annual Meeting Instream Flows • Purpose of instream flow rule: to retain perennial rivers, streams, and lakes in the Puyallup River basin at instream flows and levels necessary to provide protection for wildlife, fish, scenic‐aesthetic, environmental values, recreation, navigation, and to preserve water quality standards (WAC 173‐510, 1988) • Instream flows in Puyallup River Basin (WAC 173‐510)

– Puyallup River (Alderton): 500 – 1050 cfs

– Puyallup River (Puyallup): 1000 – 2000 cfs

– Carbon River: 350 – 900 cfs • White River Management Agreement between Cascade Water Alliance and the Puyallup and Muckleshoot Tribes

– Established minimum flows in White River and limited diversions into Lake Tapps

– Minimum flows range from 500 – 875 cfs, depending on month of year

PRWC Annual Meeting Water Supply/Use • Puyallup watershed is one of most intensely populated and farmed basins in western Washington, and much of the water in the Puyallup‐ White watershed has already been spoken for (Ecology 2011) • Little water available for new uses, given that river levels need to be maintained to ensure adequate water quality and fish migration • Major surface water uses are irrigation, municipal and domestic supplies • Major groundwater uses are public water supply and single exempt wells

Pink = closed basin Green = instream flow basin

PRWC Annual Meeting Aquatic Habitat and Fish Populations • Fish stocks in the Puyallup river watershed demonstrate a wide range of population variability and abundance • Two species typify this range: – Pink salmon stocks that have reached peak abundance in the past three return cycles (2009‐2013) – Steelhead which have hopefully bottomed out

Steelhead Puyallup Escapement by Sub-basin

2,500

2,000

1,500

Puy Carbon White 1,000

500

0 2011 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2012

PRWC Annual Meeting Aquatic Habitat and Fish Populations • Chinook have received greatest degree of recovery attention in terms of enhancement efforts and harvest management restrictions • Coho have declined overall, but wild coho returning to the White River are doing quite well

Recent Trends in White River Chinook Returns to Buckley Trap 6000 Buckley Trap Coho Returns (1941‐2012) 25,000

5000

20,000

4000

Hatchery Jacks 15,000 Fish

of Acclimation Pond Jacks Chinook

of 3000 Wild Jacks Number Hatchery Adults

Number 10,000

Acclimation Pond Adults Total Wild Adults 2000

5,000

1000

0

0 1940 1942 1944 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1972 1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 Month 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

PRWC Annual Meeting Aquatic Habitat and Fish Populations • Bull trout research in the Puyallup watershed is being done by the Puyallup Tribe and the National Park Service.

100% Bull Trout Return Timing to Buckley Trap 1999 90% 2000 2001 2002 80% 2003 2004 70% 2005 2006 2007 60% 2008 2009 50% 2010 2011 2012 40%

30% NUMBER OF BULL TROUT OF BULL NUMBER 20%

10%

0% March April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov

PRWC Annual Meeting Water Quality

• Water is essential for life and clean water ensures that fish and wildlife, drinking water and other human uses for water are supported • Degraded water quality conditions can result in some portions of the watershed being incompatible with human, fish and wildlife needs • Water quality parameters of concern include elevated water temperatures, low dissolved oxygen, excess nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen), suspended sediment, bacteria, metals (e.g., copper), and trace organics (e.g., pesticides, combustion by‐products) • The Watershed Assessment examines water quality conditions based on: – 303d listed (impaired) water bodies – Benthic index of biotic integrity (B‐IBI) – Pierce County Surface Water Health Report Card

PRWC Annual Meeting Water Quality – 303d Listing

• Numerous stream systems in watershed are listed on State’s 303(d) list of impaired water bodies (see red lines) • Listed parameters: fecal coliform, temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, turbidity, metals (arsenic, copper, lead, mercury, zinc), nutrients (ammonia‐N, total phosphorus), and benzene. • Inner Commencement Bay is listed for benzene, copper, tetrachloroethylene, and trichloroethylene • Habitat listings –invasive exotic species, instream flow, fine sediment • Tissue listings –e.g., dieldrin, PCB, chlorinated pesticides, DDT, arsenic

PRWC Annual Meeting Aquatic Insects (B‐IBI)

• B‐IBI is based on surveys of aquatic insects (macro‐invertebrates) that live on the stream bottom • Health of the stream can be assessed based on the types and populations of insects; metrics are analyzed and consolidated into a stream score • Score: 46‐50 (excellent); 38‐44 (good); 28‐36 (fair); 18‐26 (poor); 10‐16 (very poor) Creek Score Creek Score Voight Creek 28 Clarks Creek 26 S Prairie Creek 33 Clear Creek 12 Spiketon Creek 30 Diru Creek 21 Wilkeson Creek 29 Fennel Creek 29 Boise Creek 36 Squally Creek 26 Canyon Creek 25 Swan Creek 21 Canyonfalls Creek 15 Kapowsin Creek 23

PRWC Annual Meeting Pierce County Report Card

• Pierce County annual report card of surface water health; 12 streams in the Puyallup watershed • Grades based on Water Quality Index (WQI), B‐IBI, with a penalty for each parameter listed on the State’s 303(d) list

Creek Grade Creek Score Canyon Creek C+ Kapowsin Creek C+ Canyonfalls Creek C‐ Rody Creek C+ Clarks Creek C+ Spiketon Creek C+ Clear Creek C‐ Squally Creek B‐ Diru Creek B‐ Swan Creek C Fennel Creek B‐ Voight Creek C+ Fiske Creek B+ Wilkeson Creek B‐

PRWC Annual Meeting Flooding and Floodplain Management

• Flooding and channel migration are natural riverine processes • Rivers are sediment rich due to Mt. Rainier and geologic history of area (e.g., historic mudflows, glacial rivers) • Precipitation and flood risks are high from November to February • Humans have developed in the floodplain and attempted to manage rivers and flooding since late 1800s in Puyallup watershed

PRWC Annual Meeting River Flooding in Puyallup Watershed

PRWC Annual Meeting Channel Migration in Puyallup Watershed

Puyallup River Carbon River

Nisqually River

PRWC Annual Meeting Gravel Deposition

Puyallup River

White River

PRWC Annual Meeting River and Flood Risk Management

• Diversion of the White River (1906‐7) • River channelization and straightening • Construction of levees and revetments

PRWC Annual Meeting Land Use Change (Lower White River)

1998 2008 (Pierce Co. (Google ortho-photo) Earth)

PRWC Annual Meeting Economic Impacts and Flood Losses Pierce County faces potential flood related losses in excess of $725 million • Health and Safety (in Floodplain) – Population 21,193 – Jobs (in floodplain and with ripple effect) 11,868/17,596 – Homes 9,340 – People served by 3 wastewater treatment plants 216,000 – Raw sewage discharged to floodwater and rivers – 1 week to 4 months to restore primary/secondary treatment

Economics Analysis Report 31 Economic Impacts and Flood Losses • Pierce County Economic Impacts – Estimated Value of Lost Output $ 12.6M ‐ $ 46.2M – Estimated Range of Property damage $199.1M ‐ $520.8M – Port of Tacoma Compromises competitive advantage

Economics Analysis Report 32 Resource Lands (Forests)

• Puyallup River watershed has some of the best forest growing conditions in the country (Approximately 673,000 acres of forestland) • Long history of commercial timber harvest beginning in the 1850s • Half of forestland privately owned and actively managed for timber • Other half owned and managed by federal government, including Mt. Rainier National Park and wilderness areas

PRWC Annual Meeting Resource Lands (Agriculture)

• Puyallup River watershed has long history of farming dating back to the 1880s which has shaped the culture and lands of the watershed • In early 1900s, poultry and dairy farms appeared in the valley • By 1912, the Puyallup and Sumner Fruitgrowers’ Association had 1,300 members (largest association of fruit growers in the world) • By 1927, the valley was producing 23 million daffodil bulbs • Pierce County produces 50% of U.S. rhubarb production; majority of the rhubarb is grown in the Puyallup Valley and Sumner, which boasts itself as "Rhubarb Pie Capital of the World“ • Last 5‐10 years, there has been an increase in the number of small farms that grow organic fruits, vegetables and livestock

PRWC Annual Meeting Resource Lands (Agriculture)

• The Puyallup Valley and the Bonney Lake‐Buckley Plateau are two of the most concentrated areas of agricultural activity in the watershed • The valley supports about 4,900 acres of productive agriculture land • Bonney Lake‐Buckley Plateau area has about 3,700 acres

PRWC Annual Meeting Key Watershed Features

• Salmon strongholds and focus areas • Water quality focus areas • Floodplain management focus areas • Natural and resource lands management areas – Biodiversity management areas – Forest resource management areas – Agricultural preservation and management areas

PRWC Annual Meeting Salmon Focus Areas

• White River spring Chinook identified as a primary population for Puget Sound by NOAA Fisheries; only spring Chinook stock in P.S. and unique due to their genetic and life‐history traits (WDFW, 1996) • Most spawning occurs in clear water tributaries to White River, including the Greenwater and Clearwater rivers, and Huckleberry and Boise creeks • WRIA 10 Salmon Habitat Protection and Restoration Strategy – identifies protection and/or restoration of presently functional salmon streams, including: South Prairie Creek and its tributaries, Boise Creek, Greenwater River, Huckleberry Creek and Clearwater River as near‐term high priority actions – high‐priority areas for restoration in WRIA 10 are the lower and middle Puyallup River, the lower White River, the lower Carbon River, and the Puyallup estuary • South Prairie Creek, the primary tributary to the Carbon River, is the most important salmonid spawning area in the Puyallup watershed, producing nearly half of all the wild steelhead in the Puyallup River system, the only significant run of pink salmon, and important returns of Chinook, coho, chum salmon and sea‐run cutthroat trout (Kerwin 1999)

PRWC Annual Meeting Restoration Priorities for Salmon Habitat

• The WRIA 10 Strategy identifies levee setbacks, estuarine habitat creation, and correction or removal of upstream and downstream migration barriers as the most beneficial types of restoration actions • Restoration of habitat diversity (including pool/riffles and large woody debris) and riparian conditions in tributary streams is another priority • Levee setbacks can result in re‐connecting large areas of floodplain to the mainstem river; they allow natural processes to create side‐channel and off‐channel habitat areas • Improved upstream fish passage at the Buckley diversion dam, screening the Electron diversion dam, and removal of other artificial barriers are high priorities

PRWC Annual Meeting Water Quality Focus Areas

• PRWC Watershed Assessment WQ Team identified the following types of systems as warranting particular focus – Streams and rivers with high risk to salmonids – Areas with high risk due to bacteria contamination – Areas with TMDL implementation plans – White River, the lower Carbon River, and the Puyallup estuary • The following five geographic focus areas were identified: – South Prairie Creek – some of the best salmonid habitat in the Puyallup River system, moderately high B‐IBI score (33), listed as impaired for bacteria and temperature, and a TMDL implementation plan was developed in 2006 – Boise Creek – some of the best salmonid habitat in the lower White River system, moderately high B‐IBI score (34), listed as impaired for fecal coliform. In the Puyallup River fecal coliform TMDL (Ecology 2011), Boise Creek was the largest FC bacteria loading source for any tributary in the study area (King County 2012)

PRWC Annual Meeting Water Quality Focus Areas

– Clarks Creek – urban tributary, with an anadromous reach that is a low gradient spring‐ fed system (Maplewood Springs) with cool clear water; Chinook, coho, and chum are the most common species that spawn in Clarks Creek (PTF 2009). Clarks Creek has a B‐IBI score in the upper end of poor (26), and is listed as impaired for fecal coliform and dissolved oxygen. A Fecal Coliform TMDL and water quality implementation plan was developed in 2009 and a TMDL for dissolved oxygen is under development. – Fennel Creek – flows nearly eight miles from its source of wetlands and lowland lakes located near Bonney Lake. The lower reach of Fennel Creek, below Victor Falls, is accessible to salmon (coho and chum most common spawners); B‐IBI score is fair (29) and listed as impaired for fecal coliform. Included in Puyallup River fecal coliform TMDL (Ecology 2011) – Swan Creek – tributary located within the larger Clear Creek basin. Chum and cutthroat trout are the most common; B‐IBI score classified as poor (21) and listed as impaired for fecal coliform; included in Puyallup River fecal coliform TMDL. Swan Creek was selected by Pierce County in 2011 for its “Raise the Grade” program in the Puyallup watershed, with partners working to improve water quality for both bacterial and nutrient loadings.

PRWC Annual Meeting Floodplain Management Focus Areas

• Flood‐prone areas in the Puyallup watershed are along mainstem rivers in the lower valleys where the river gradient flattens out and extensive development has occurred over the past century, including: – Lower Puyallup River from RM 3 to 10.4, where there is $1.8 billion of assessed value in the floodplain in the cities of Fife and Puyallup, and unincorporated Pierce County; – Lower White River from RM 0 to 8, where there is over $600 million of assessed value in the floodplain in the cities of Sumner and Pacific, and unincorporated Pierce and King counties; – Upper Puyallup River (from RM 17 to 22) and Lower Carbon River (from RM 0 to 4) in the vicinity of Orting, where there is over $300 million of assessed value in the floodplain in the CIty of Orting and unincorporated Pierce County. • Highest amount of flood insurance claims paid to date (from 1978 to 2010), according to the Bureaunet database are: – Lower Puyallup (RM 0‐10.4) – $4.1 million – Middle Puyallup (RM 10.4‐17.4) – $1.15 million – South Prairie Creek (RM 0‐6.2) – $188,000

PRWC Annual Meeting Floodplain Management Priorities

• Key activities that should be promoted to reduce flood risk and improve watershed health include: – Setback of levees to reduce flood risk and improve habitat – Adoption of consistent floodplain development regulations across jurisdictions in the watershed • A 2010 analysis of flood hazard regulations across Puyallup watershed indicated significant differences across the 16 categories evaluated. Cities and towns should adopt policies and regulations that are consistent with or equivalent to Pierce County for critical area regulation of flood hazard areas

– Acquisition of flood‐prone structures/lands to permanently remove flooding and channel migration risks – Education of floodplain residents on risks they face, how they can protect themselves during floods, and how they can avoid purchasing property at high risk of flooding. • Flood Hazard education and outreach is an important tool that can increase awareness and motivate actions that improve public safety, reduce flood and channel migration risks, and protect natural floodplains

PRWC Annual Meeting Biodiversity Management Areas

• Pierce County Biodiversity Network Assessment (Brooks et al. 2004) identified and evaluated lands that provide the greatest biological diversity of terrestrial species and provide special consideration for salmonids. • Puyallup River watershed includes 6 of 17 BMAs in Pierce County # Name Land area Location/Description (acres) 4 Greenwater River 20,857 Southwest Cascade ecoregion and western hemlock vegetation zone. 9 Norse Peak 10,163 East Central Cascades and Southwest Cascades ecoregions; western redcedar/western hemlock, mountain hemlock and alpine/parkland vegetation zones 11 Puyallup River 46,702* Southwest Cascade ecoregion and western hemlock vegetation zone. 15 Rainier 54,052* Mount Rainier National Park and in the Southwest Cascade ecoregion and alpine/parkland and subalpine fir vegetation zones. 16 White River 8,586 Southwest Cascade ecoregion and western hemlock and mountain hemlock vegetation zones. 17 Lower White River 1,593 Puget Trough ecoregion and Puget Sound Douglas fir vegetation zone.

* Some of acreage is in Nisqually watershed

PRWC Annual Meeting Biodiversity Management Areas

PRWC Annual Meeting Forest Management Areas

• Forest lands in the Puyallup watershed include Mt. Rainier National Park, Norse and Clearwater Wilderness Areas, National Forests, private timber lands, and small forests • Largest private timber landowners in the Puyallup watershed are Muckleshoot Tribe and Hancock Timber Resources • Managing forest lands for timber and wildlife use (including salmon) will ensure that natural resources and clean water are protected • Nearly two‐thirds of the Puyallup watershed is in forest cover and National Park, wilderness, or designated forest land status; this is important to the long‐term protection of the Puyallup River watershed.

PRWC Annual Meeting Agricultural Preservation and Management

• The Puyallup watershed has a history of robust agricultural activity, however farmland, especially highly productive soils in the Puyallup Valley, is under threat of conversion to other developed uses • The per‐acre value of crops varies from $2000 to $80,000 • 6,600 acres in the Puyallup Valley in agricultural use, but nearly 25% of this land is located within incorporated areas or within the urban growth boundary, and therefore under threat of development • Pierce County is estimated to have lost more than 70% of its farmland between 1950 and 2007 • In recent years, efforts have focused on purchase of farms or development rights on farmland and preservation of farming – In 2011, the Orting Valley Farm (100 acres) was purchased by Pierce County and PCC Farmland Trust – In 2012, the Reise Farm (120 acres) near Orting at the headwaters of Ball Creek was purchased.

PRWC Annual Meeting Agricultural Preservation and Management

• Maintaining agriculture land in farming and reducing loss of farm land to development helps preserve open space, maintain quality soil, and protect the rivers and streams of the Puyallup watershed • With ongoing pressure to develop land on the urban fringe, it is important to limit urban growth into viable farm land, especially in the fertile valleys. • Below is a quote from the Pierce County Executive upon the purchase of the Reise Farm (Puyallup Patch 2012): – “This is prime agricultural soil, and agricultural preservation and sustainability are a priority for our citizens and county,” said Pierce County executive Pat McCarthy. “We have the best soil in the state and must continue to provide locally‐grown food for our citizens, into the future.”

PRWC Annual Meeting QUESTIONS? Lorin Reinelt (206) 477‐4808 or [email protected]

December 6, 2013 PRWC Annual Meeting Watershed Health Assessment Committee

The purpose of the PRWC Watershed Health and Assessment Committee is to monitor, assess, and track the health of the Puyallup watershed and report findings to the Board, Council, and citizens of the watershed Goals: 1. Inventory existing watershed conditions and complete watershed assessment 2. Select, measure, and track watershed indicators/metrics and report annually 3. Partner with agencies, tribes, non‐profit organizations and other entities that collect relevant watershed data and information 4. Communicate results to partners, including cities, tribes, and other entities [and get buy‐in to use results]

PRWC Annual Meeting Puyallup River Watershed Council

• Development of 5‐year Action Agenda (2007‐2011):

1. Management of Runoff from New Development 2. Stormwater Management – Facility Maintenance & Retrofitting 3. Streamside and Riparian Planting 4. Improved Onsite Sewage System Management 5. Farm Planning and BMP implementation 6. Preserve and Restore Aquatic and Terrestrial Habitat 7. Water Quantity Management 8. Education, Outreach and Public Involvement 9. Monitoring and Watershed Assessment 10. Build PRWC Capacity

PRWC Annual Meeting