Green Valley Creek Watershed Management Plan DRAFT Phase 1 (Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District, 2010)
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Green Valley Creek Watershed Management Plan DRAFT A Living Document to Facilitate the Stewardship of the Green Valley Creek Watershed Gold Ridge RCD March 2013 The Green Valley Creek Watershed Management Plan DRAFT Phase II, March 2013 This project was funded by a grant from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife Contract No. P0930400 Prepared by: Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District Sierra Cantor, Ecologist Brittany Heck, Executive Director John Green, Project Manager O’Connor Environmental, Inc. Matt O’Connor, Principal Geomorphologist Prunuske Chatham, Inc. Jennifer Michaud, Senior Wildlife Biologist Lauren Hammack, Principal and Fluvial Geomorphologist This plan builds upon the previous document, “Upper Green Valley Creek Watershed Management Plan, Phase I”, May 2010 which was drafted by the following: Gold Ridge Conservation District Lisa Hulette, Executive Director John Green, Project Manager Diana Hines, Biologist Reza Environmental Consulting Kate Reza, Ecologist Prunuske Chatham, Inc. Jennifer Michaud, Senior Wildlife Biologist Center for Ecosystem Management and Restoration Matthew Deitch, Hydrologist Acknowledgements The Gold Ridge RCD wishes to thank those who authored, reviewed, and provided technical assistance throughout this important planning process. With special thanks to the landowners who allowed us to access their properties and the reaches of Green Valley and Purrington Creeks that run through them, without which, this project would not have been possible. Technical Work Group Members: Derek Acomb, California Department of Fish and Wildlife Bob Burke, Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District, Save the Gravenstein Apple Steven Chatham, Prunuske Chatham, Inc. Brian Cluer, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Bill Cox, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, retired Matt Deitch, Center for Ecosystem Management and Restoration Chad Edwards, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration John Green, Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District David Hines, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Mike Jensen, Prunuske Chatham, Inc. Jennifer Michaud, Prunuske Chatham, Inc. Bryan McFadin, North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board Sarah Nossaman, UC Cooperative Extension, Sea Grant Mariska Obedzinski, UC Cooperative Extension, Sea Grant Matt O’Connor, O’Connor Environmental, Inc. Joe Pecharich, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration John Roberts, Atascadero Green Valley Watershed Council Table of Contents Executive Summary i I. Introduction 1 Overview and Purpose 1 GRRCD & Watershed Planning in the Upper Green Valley Watershed 4 Technical Work Group Oversight 4 Related Efforts 5 II. Watershed Description 8 A. Regional Setting 8 Watershed Location 8 Geographic Focus of Upper Green Valley Watershed Management Plan 9 Geography 10 Geology 10 Soils 12 History 12 Archaeological Resources 14 Ownership and Land Use 14 Water Supply 16 B. Water Quality 19 Regulatory Context 19 Water Quality in the Upper Green Valley Watershed 21 Water Quality Objectives/Targets 24 Methods 27 Water Temperature 28 Turbidity/Total Suspended Solids 31 Dissolved Oxygen 36 pH 40 Conductivity 42 Nutrients 44 Continuous Water Quality Data 47 Data Gaps 56 Conclusion 56 Water Quality Goals & Recommendations: 57 C. Hydrology & Instream Flow 59 Introduction 59 Rainfall 59 Streamflow 65 Extrapolating Discharge to the Upper Green Valley Creek Watershed 70 Calculating Water Needs 74 Conclusions and Recommendations 75 D. Sediment Sources and Impacts 77 Introduction 77 Erosion Processes in the Upper Green Valley Watershed 78 Channel incision 79 Surface Erosion 82 Gullying 83 The Impacts of Roads 83 Road assessments 84 Impacts to Aquatic Resources 85 Conclusions & Recommendations 86 E. Flood Risk 62 F. Upper Green Valley & Purrington Geomorphic Habitat Restoration Assessment 92 Overview 92 Definitions 100 Overview of Purrington Creek Geomorphic Habitat Assessment 110 Hydraulic Modeling for Restoration Design 127 G. Biological Resources of the Upper Green Valley Creek Watershed 132 Introduction 132 Habitat Changes in Upper Green Valley Creek Watershed 132 Existing Communities 133 Coniferous Forest 134 Hardwood Forest/Woodland 135 Serpentine Chaparral and Cypress Forest 136 Grassland and Agriculture 137 Rural Residential Areas 138 Riparian Woodlands and Wetlands 139 Special‐status Species 141 Background Research 142 Special‐status Plants 143 Special‐status Animals 144 History of Salmonid Fish Surveys and Stocking 151 Russian River Coho Salmon Captive Broodstock Program 151 Instream Habitat 154 Watershed Assessments 155 Primary Pools and Pool Shelter 156 Spawning Habitat and Cobble Embeddedness 157 Riparian Cover and Buffers 157 Macroinvertebrates 158 Floodplain Connectivity 158 Water Quality and Quantity 159 Instream Barriers 161 Conclusion & Recommendations 162 III. Management Considerations 165 Management Actions for Watershed Improvement 165 Agricultural Sustainability 165 Agricultural Best Management Practices 168 Rural Residentia 169 Climate Change 172 `Weather Predictions 172 Potential Vegetation and Crop Changes 173 Salmonid Habitat 174 Other Potential Impacts 175 IV. Habitat Restoration Recommendations and Priorities 176 Restoration Recommendations and Prioritization 176 Identified High Priority Restoration Projects 183 Purrington Creek Salmonid Habitat Restoration Project Description 183 Upper Green Valley Salmonid Habitat Restoration Project Description 183 Green Valley Off‐Channel Winter Refugia Habiat Enhancement Project 184 Implementation Actions 186 Funding 193 Next Steps 193 V. Plan Limitations 195 VI. References 196 VII. Appendices 205 List of Figures and Tables Figures Figure A‐1. Atascadero‐Green Valley Creek Watershed Location Figure A‐2. Atascadero‐Green Valley Creek Planning Watersheds Figure A‐3. Upper, Lower Green Valley Creek and Purrington Creek Subwatersheds Figure A‐ 4. Land Uses in the Green Valley Creek Watershed Figure A‐5. Land in Williamson Act Land Contracts Figure B‐1: Map of Green Valley Creek Watershed Water Quality Monitoring Stations Figure B‐2. Streamflow Gauge Locations Figure B‐3. Water Quality Sampling Locations Figure B‐4. Water Temperature, 2008‐10 Figure B‐5. Water Temperature, 2010‐2011 Figure B‐6. Turbidity measurements 2008‐2010 Figure B‐7. Hydrograph of Purrington Creek during the March 23, 2011 Storm Event Figure B‐8. Turbidity Measurements Figure B‐9. Turbidity Measurements From Selected Sampling Events Figure B‐10. Total Suspended Solid Measurements for Selected Storm Events Figure B‐11. Total Suspended Solid Measurements from March 2011 Storm Sampling Event Figure B‐12: Dissolved Oxygen Measurements 2008‐2010 Figure B‐13: Dissolved Oxygen Concentration 2010‐2011 Figure B‐14: Dissolved Oxygen Saturation 2010‐2011 Figure B‐15: Dissolved Oxygen Measurements at Selected Stations 2010‐2011 Figure B‐16. pH Measurements 2008‐2010 Figure B‐17. pH Measurements 2010‐2011 Figure B‐18. Conductivity Measurements 2008‐2010 Figure B‐19: Specific Conductivity Measurements 2010‐2011 Figure B‐20. Ammonia Measurements from Selected Storm Events Figure B‐21. Nitrate Measurements from Selected Storm Events Figure B‐22. Ortho‐Phosphate Measurements from Selected Storm Events Figure B‐23. Continuous water quality data for Green Valley Creek as it runs through GVC47 (6/30/11‐7/28/11) Figure B‐24. Continuous water quality data for Green Valley Creek as it runs through GVC47 (7/28/11‐8/31/11) Figure B‐25. Continuous water quality data for Green Valley Creek as it runs through GVC47 (8/31/11‐9/21/11) Figure B‐26. Continuous water quality data for GVC60, Green Valley Creek downstream of Green Valley Road bridge (6/30‐7/28/11) Figure B‐27. Continuous water quality data for GVC60, Green Valley Creek downstream of Green Valley Road bridge (7/28‐8/24/11) Figure B‐28. Continuous water quality data for GVC60Green Valley Creek downstream of Green Valley Road bridge (8/24‐9/09/11) Figure B‐29. Continuous water quality data for Green Valley Creek as it runs through GVC47 (10/4‐10/29/12) Figure B‐30. Continuous water quality data for GV60 Green Valley Creek downstream of Green Valley Road bridge (10/3‐10/31/12) Figure C‐1. Mean annual rainfall in the Green Valley Creek watershed and surrounding area, based on long‐term records compiled by California Department of Water Resources and US Geological Survey (low‐resolution map). Figure C‐2. Mean annual rainfall in the Green Valley Creek watershed and surrounding area, based on PRISM (high‐resolution map). Figure C‐3. Average monthly rainfall, in inches, 6 long‐term rainfall gauges in and near the UGV watershed. Figure C‐4. Percentage of total annual rainfall each month at 6 long‐term rainfall gauges in and near the UGV watershed. Figure F‐1. Upper Green Valley and Purrington Creek Geomorphic Units Map Figure F‐2. Discharge classification for 90% exceedance flows. Figure F‐3. Discharge classification for 50% exceedance flows. Figure F‐4. Riffle depth classification for 90% exceedance flows. Figure F‐5. Riffle depth classification for 50% exceedance flows. Figure F‐6. Pool depth classification for 90% exceedance flows. Figure F‐7. Pool depth classification for 50% exceedance flows. Figure F‐8. Change in velocity under Design Scenario B for a sub‐reach of the analysis. Figure F‐9. Change in velocity under Design Scenario C for a sub‐reach of the analysis. Figure G‐1. Green Valley Watershed Land Cover and Vegetation Types Figure G‐2. The most recent Adult Coho observation counts from the Sea Grant Extension Program Figure IV‐1 . Geomorphic Unit