Yakima River Preliminary Assessment of Temperature, Dissolved Oxygen, and Ph
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Yakima River Preliminary Assessment of Temperature, Dissolved Oxygen, and pH February 2016 Publication No. 16-03-048 Publication and contact information This report is available on the Department of Ecology’s website at https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/publications/SummaryPages/1603048.html. Data for this project are available at Ecology’s Environmental Information Management (EIM) website www.ecy.wa.gov/eim/index.htm. Search Study ID PPIC0010. The Activity Tracker Code for this study is 15-011. This report contains material that was originally published as a technical memorandum in February 2016. It was republished in July 2017, but with the original date of the technical memorandum. For more information contact: Publications Coordinator Environmental Assessment Program P.O. Box 47600, Olympia, WA 98504-7600 Phone: (360) 407-6764 Washington State Department of Ecology - www.ecy.wa.gov o Headquarters, Olympia (360) 407-6000 o Northwest Regional Office, Bellevue (425) 649-7000 o Southwest Regional Office, Olympia (360) 407-6300 o Central Regional Office, Union Gap (509) 575-2490 o Eastern Regional Office, Spokane (509) 329-3400 Cover photo: Yakima River at Kiona, August 2015 (photo taken by Paul Pickett). Any use of product or firm names in this publication is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the author or the Department of Ecology. Accommodation Requests: To request ADA accommodation including materials in a format for the visually impaired, call Ecology at 360-407-6764. Persons with impaired hearing may call Washington Relay Service at 711. Persons with speech disability may call TTY at 877-833-6341. Yakima River Preliminary Assessment of Temperature, Dissolved Oxygen, and pH by Paul J. Pickett Environmental Assessment Program Washington State Department of Ecology Olympia, Washington 98504-7710 Water Resource Inventory Area (WRIA) and 8-digit Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) numbers for the study area: WRIAs • 37 • 38 • 39 HUC numbers • 17030001 • 17030002 • 17030003 Page 1 This page is purposely left blank Page 2 Table of Contents Page Table of Contents .................................................................................................................3 List of Figures ......................................................................................................................5 List of Tables .......................................................................................................................6 Abstract ................................................................................................................................7 Acknowledgements ..............................................................................................................8 Purpose of This Document...................................................................................................9 Background ..........................................................................................................................9 Problem Description ......................................................................................................9 Water Quality Standards and 303(d) Listings ..............................................................12 Project Purpose and Study Objectives .........................................................................15 Methods..............................................................................................................................15 Findings..............................................................................................................................15 Geographic Considerations ..........................................................................................15 Hydrology and Water Management .............................................................................21 Fish Habitat Studies – 1999-2002 ..........................................................................21 DSS and YBIP Studies...........................................................................................23 Groundwater Studies ..............................................................................................24 Other Studies ..........................................................................................................26 Temperature .................................................................................................................26 Temperature Modeling – 1980s .............................................................................26 Temperature Studies – 1990s .................................................................................27 Lower Yakima Modeling – 1995-2000 ..................................................................28 Fisheries Studies – 2001-2008 ...............................................................................31 System Modeling – 2008-09 ..................................................................................32 Climate Change Impacts – 2011-2014 ...................................................................36 YBIP EIS Documents ............................................................................................37 Reconnaissance Survey – 2015 ..............................................................................38 Dissolved Oxygen, pH, and Nutrient Issues ................................................................39 Reservoir Limnology – 1990s ................................................................................39 Lower Yakima River Modeling – 2000 .................................................................40 Fisheries and Water Quality Studies – 1999-2009 ................................................40 USGS Eutrophication Study – 2003-2007 .............................................................41 USGS Nutrient Load Model – 2013 ......................................................................43 YBIP Project EIS Reports – 2014-2015 ................................................................48 Reconnaissance Survey – 2015 ..............................................................................48 Ongoing Monitoring and Studies .................................................................................48 Discussion ..........................................................................................................................50 Overarching Issues .......................................................................................................50 Upper Yakima River – Easton Basin ...........................................................................51 Page 3 Kittitas Valley ..............................................................................................................52 Yakima Canyon and Selah Reach ................................................................................53 Naches River ................................................................................................................53 Naches River to Sunnyside Diversion .........................................................................54 Wapato to Prosser ........................................................................................................54 Prosser to Richland ......................................................................................................55 Yakima River Delta .....................................................................................................55 Potential Pollutant Sources ..........................................................................................56 Yakima Watershed Plan .........................................................................................58 Modeling Feasibility ....................................................................................................58 Conclusions ........................................................................................................................60 Recommendations ..............................................................................................................60 References ..........................................................................................................................61 Appendices .........................................................................................................................67 Appendix A. Yakima River Mainstem Water Quality Study, Summary of Monitoring Results for August 3-13 and September 1-3, 2015 ...................................68 Methods..................................................................................................................68 Results ....................................................................................................................69 Appendix Tables ....................................................................................................74 Appendix Figures ...................................................................................................78 Appendix B. Glossary, Acronyms, and Abbreviations ...............................................88 Page 4 List of Figures Figure 1. Yakima River Basin. .........................................................................................10 Figure 2. Yakima Basin water management system. ........................................................11 Figure 3. Upper Yakima floodplain reaches. (Stanford et al. 2002). ...............................16 Figure 4. Location of six structural basins and geologic structure,