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The Highs and Lows of the Grande Ronde River (Temperature in the Grande Ronde Watershed)

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The Highs and Lows of the Grande Ronde River (Temperature in the Grande Ronde Watershed) R.G. Hersh-Burdick June 8, 2007 The Highs and Lows of the Grande Ronde River (Temperature in the Grande Ronde Watershed) by Rachael Hersh-Burdick ABSTRACT In the Grande Ronde River Basin cold water fish species such as Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) depend upon cooler temperatures for survival. While there is not a fixed number that can be used to accurately quantify the temperatures that are needed for their survival, it is certain that the current water temperatures in the Grande Ronde Basin are hotter than is desirable. Furthermore, it has been shown that these elevated temperatures are not solely the result of climatic changes; thus the anthropogenic effects on regional surface water temperatures are significant (Nowak 2004). The anthropogenic effects in the Grande Ronde region can be divided into three categories: riparian vegetation disturbances, channel morphology disturbances and hydrologic disturbances. Each of these disturbances serves to create higher than normal temperatures in the Grande Ronde River and threaten the cold water fish species that inhabit the river. The Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for the Upper Grande Ronde details the regulations that are currently being used to help minimize anthropogenic impacts. Additionally, the diurnal and longitudinal temperature profiles currently available for the Upper Grande Ronde serve as supporting evidence for the River Continuum Concept (RCC), although there are local disturbances in the continuum created by backwater, slackwaters, land use practices, and inflows from larger tributaries with temperatures significantly different from the mainstem. This summer diurnal and longitudinal temperature profiles will be created for the Lower Grande Ronde and it is predicted that they too will support the RCC, although the daily maximums are predicted to be higher than normal. INTRODUCTION “We descend a very steep hill in coming into Grande Ronde, at the foot of which is a beautiful cluster of pitch and spruce pine trees, but no white pine like that I have been accustomed to see at home. Grande Ronde is indeed a beautiful place. It is a circular plain, surrounded by lofty mountains, and has a beautiful stream coursing through it, Page 1 of 22 R.G. Hersh-Burdick June 8, 2007 skirted with quite large timber. The scenery while passing through it is quite delightful in some places and the soil rich; in other places we find the white sand and sedge, as usual, so common to this country. We nooned upon Grande Ronde River.” (Whitman 1836) The beautiful place that Narcissa Whitman describes in the passage above has changed dramatically since her visit in 1836, particularly with respect to the river she once “nooned upon”. With many more people following Narcissa Whitman’s trek west, the anthropogenic influences on the Grande Ronde Basin have increased dramatically to the extent that many of the streams in the Grande Ronde River Basin are degraded and are thus listed on Oregon’s 303 (d) list of water quality limited water bodies (TMDL 2000). Humans have used the Grande Ronde River Basin for mining, logging, grazing, as well as other practices which have disturbed the natural flow regime of the area (TMDL 2000, Nowak 2004, Fissekis 2007, this volume). Water quality parameters of concern in the Grande Ronde River Basin are algae, bacteria, flow modification, nutrients, water temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, sedimentation, and habitat modification (TMDL 2000, Nowak and Kuchenbacker 2004). Although all these parameters have been observed to negatively impact basin water quality, this paper focuses primarily on the influence of in-stream water temperature on aquatic ecosystem function and health. The role temperature plays in creating habitat for fish will be discussed, as well as how cold water refugia are formed, and the causes and effects of changes in temperature. Furthermore, historic and current temperature trends are explained, anthropogenic influences on basin water temperatures are categorized, and ways to manage the basin to mitigate these influences are outlined. Lastly, the River Continuum Concept (RCC) (Vannote et al. 1980) is presented as a means to provide insight into the longitudinal trends in water quality and help predict future field observations. WATER TEMPERATURE AND FISH HABITAT In-stream water temperature has been identified as one of the most influential factors in creating habitat for fish. According to Moyle et al. (2004), temperature is one of the four most useful physical factors when predicting the pattern and abundance of fish, with variations in mean temperature range driving differences in observed indigenous species populations (Table 1). Page 2 of 22 R.G. Hersh-Burdick June 8, 2007 Location General Stream Temperature Species Present Type (Warm/Cool) (degrees C) North America Warm-water Exceed 24-26 for Largemouth bass, green extended periods of sunfish, bullhead time catfish, cyprinids & darters Europe Warm-water Exceed 24-26 for Cyprinids & loaches extended periods of time Much of the Northern Cold-water Seldom exceed 24-26 Trout & sculpins Hemisphere Table 1. General locations, stream typing, temperature regimes and the types of fish species present. (Moyle et al. 2004) As shown in Table 1, when temperatures increase, suckers and minnows tend to thrive. However, while average and maximum water temperatures provide useful criteria for generally understanding fish population distributions, it is a more intricate set of thermal criteria that determine which species will survive in a given area. Table 2, found below, details the instantaneous, incipient and sub-lethal temperature limits for thermally-induced, cold water fish mortality. Further considerations to determine fish survival include life stage (TMDL 2000), exposure to pathogens (TMDL 2000), abundance of food, and the number of disturbances that the fish experiences. Fish in an environment with few disturbances and an abundance of food are able to withstand much higher temperatures than those who encounter a scarcity of food and are constantly agitated (Moyle et al. 2004). Table 2. List of temperature ranges that cause cold water fish mortality. (TMDL 2000) Page 3 of 22 R.G. Hersh-Burdick June 8, 2007 TEMPERATURE AND FISH HABITAT IN THE GRANDE RONDE BASIN The role of temperature with respect to creating habitat for cold water fish species becomes particularly important when the main stem of a river maintains temperatures above the incipient or sub-lethal limit for extended periods of time (Table 2). Under such thermally stressful conditions, cold water refugia become an important means for the survival of cold water fish. These cold water refugia often occur where there is connectivity between the groundwater and the stream, and the groundwater table is high enough so that the cold groundwater flows into the stream (Ebersole et al. 2003). In the Grande Ronde River Basin, Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) are among the most sensitive of the cold water fish species (Ebersole et al. 1999, TMDL 2000). According to Nowak et al. (2004) the following fish are either listed or are candidates for being listed as Endangered or Threatened Species at the state or federal level (Table 3): Table 3 Table 3. Threatened/Endangered fish species Given the threatened and/or endangered status of the aforementioned fish species, Ebersole et al. (2001, 2003) investigated the importance of cold water refugia for salmonid survival in the Lower Grande Ronde, Catherine Creek, and Lostine River Subbasins (Fig. 1). Study methods included thermal profiling of the channel and salmonid population observations via snorkeling, thus allowing statistical relationships between thermal refugia and population abundance to be identified. Ebersole et al. (1999, 2003) found that when the frequency of the cold-water patches was doubled, there was a 59% increase in the observed salmonid population, Page 4 of 22 R.G. Hersh-Burdick June 8, 2007 and a 31% increase in rainbow trout abundance. In contrast, when the cold water patch area was doubled, there was a 10% increase in the rainbow trout abundance, but a negligible effect on the salmonid population (Ebersole et al. 2003). Intriguingly, in a separate study, Ebersole et al. (1999) found no clear effect of cold water refuge frequency on rainbow trout density on the stream reach scale in tributaries to the Grande Ronde. However, in-stream temperatures explained the majority of the difference in rainbow trout densities observed between the study reaches (Ebersole et al. 1999), suggesting that although cold water refugia help rainbow trout survive, the impacts of the ambient stream temperature appear much greater and thus drive trout population densities in the Grande Ronde River. The implications of these findings indicate that conservation efforts should focus on improving stream and natural lake temperatures rather than trying to create more cold water refugia (Ebersole 2007). TEMPERATURE REGULATIONS With the importance of the temperature of the stream, and to some extent the thermal refugia, established, the significance of maintaining cool, in-stream water temperatures can be understood. To help eliminate/reduce anthropogenically-driven stream temperature increases inhibiting the well being of cold water species in the Grande Ronde Sub-Basin, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has published a
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