Making Sense of Streamflow Data Along the Lower Crooked and Middle Deschutes Rivers

Making Sense of Streamflow Data along the Lower Crooked and Middle Deschutes Rivers

Greg Olsen, Hydrologic Technician Glen Hess, Oregon Surface Water Specialist

U.S. Geological Survey Oregon WSC May 2007 Funding and/or Assistance Sources

• Bureau of Land Management - Prineville • Crooked River Watershed Council • Oregon Water Resource Department • Portland General Electric Project Goal - Seepage Investigation

• Define the temporal and spatial variability of groundwater discharge (seepage) to the rivers.

• We quantify that seepage by measuring streamflow at various points along the river and calculating the gain or loss between those points.

• Seepage investigations are made during periods of low flow when conditions at any given location in the stream are relatively constant so as to minimize the effects that any variability with time might introduce. Opal Springs RM 120 RM 6.8 Gage

RM 19

RM 133

Area of Study How Do We Measure Flow?

• Historically made using Price AA current meter • Cross-section perpendicular to flow •Cableway •Boat •Bridge • Wade – Couple of sites on Deschutes were waded • 25 sections desirable • Measure depth, width and water velocity • Width x Depth = Area • Area x Vel. = section discharge • Combine sections for total discharge • .5 - 2 hours, depending on depth Price AA Current Meter Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter

•Has become the instrument of choice for wading

•For wading measurements only

•All electronic – no moving parts Acoustic Doppler Profiler

• All Electronic • Measures entire profile • Operated remotely via radio • 30-40 min Trailhead Packing Typical Gear • Dry Suit or Boat(s) •ADP •PFD • Pontoons •Fins • Spare ADP Batteries • 300’ rope for tag line •ADP Radio • 2 - 150’ pull ropes •Laptop • 2-way radios • Laptop Power Source • Sat. phone • Sub. Pres. X-ducer •GPS • Palmtop • Laptop Table • Temp. Thermistor •Tarp • Temp/Cond Meter • Umbrella • Personal Items (food) • Grab sample bottles Packing It In – The Easy Part Bushwhacking Tracking changes in stage Setting up the Tagline Inflatable raft Kayaks Set up to measure Acoustic Doppler Profiler

Brains and radio

Transducer From moving measurements to stationary measurements

Moving Stationary • Bottom tracking • No bottom tracking • At least 4 passes, often • Minimum 25 sections 8-12 (Couple of hours) like a standard QM • Susceptible to moving • Generally 30-40 min. bed conditions • Moving bed not an issue Collecting data Organized chaos. Everyone has a job, if only to serve as a mule. The tough part - packing it out New Gage RM 120 RM 6.8 Crooked River blw Opal Springs Gage Osborne Canyon RM 13.5

RM 19

RM 133 The Gage

•Heavy hardware flown in by BLM contracted helicopter

• Data logger records stage & water temperature

•Self purging pressure transducer

•Radio x-mits to satellite logger on canyon rim

•X-mits to satellite

•Data x-mitted hourly BOC

Gage location Measuring Flow from Bank Operated Cableway (BOC) QUESTIONS? Making Sense of Streamflow Data along the Lower Crooked and Middle Deschutes Rivers

Greg Olsen, Hydrologic Technician Glen Hess, Oregon Surface Water Specialist

U.S. Geological Survey Oregon WSC May 2007 Hint: The systems are ground water driven in this peculiar river (Russell, 1905) Stearns – USGS Water Supply Paper (1931)

“…though many records exist, it is difficult to compare them … because they were not all maintained at the same time. “ USGS Streamflow Data •Continuous Data (Crooked -Terrebonne, Osborne, Opal Springs)

(Deschutes – Below Bend, Lower Bridge, Culver) RM 120 RM 6.8 Culver Gage Opal Springs Gage Osborne Canyon gage RM 13.5

RM 19

RM 133

Terrebonne gage RM 27.7 Crooked R Point Streamflow Data

National Grasslands (RM 16.5) Horny Hollow (RM 9.2) Carcass Trail (RM 8.4) Whiner Rock (RM 7.7) Crooked River Seepage Run 2003

1400

1200 Opal Springs 1000 Terrebonne Osborne

S 800

600

400 FLOW, IN CF IN FLOW, 200

0 30 25 20 15 10 05 River Mile Historic Crooked River Seepage Runs 1919, 1925 (This photo from USGS - John Wesley Powell on Colo.) Historic Crooked River Seepage Runs

1400

1200 2003 1000 S Cove

800 Terrebonne 1925 600

400 FLOW, IN CF FLOW, 200 1919 0 1015202530 05 River Mile Crooked Streamflow Data 2003-06

1400

1200 Mar. 2003 Jul. 2004 Sept. 2004 Oct. 2004 1000 Aug. 2005 Aug. 2006

800 Terrebonne

600

400 FLOW, IN CFS 200 0 202530 1015 05 River Mile Crooked River at High Stage

3500 Questions ?

3000

2500 Mar. 2003

2000 May 2006 Terrebonne 1500 FLOW, IN CFS 1000

500

0 30 25 20 15 10 05 River Mile RM 120 RM 6.8 Culver Gage Opal Springs Gage Osborne Canyon gage RM 13.5

RM 19

Terrebonne gage RM 27.7 Crooked River late summer gains from Terrebonne to Opal Springs

2000

1800 1600

1400

1200

1000 800

GAINS, IN CFS 600

400

200 0 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020

YEAR From Gannett (2002) Estimated mean annual canal leakage

August mean flow - Metolius River near Grandvie w 2,000 August mean flow - Crooked River near Culver 1,800 August mean flow - Crooked River below Opal 1,600

1,400 O

1,200

1,000

800

600 CUBIC FEET PER SEC

400

200

01900 1910 1920 1930 1940 195 0 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 YEAR

Figure 23. August mean flows of the Crooked River below Opal Springs, the Metolius River near Grandview, and estimated annual mean l eakage from irrigation canals, 1905-1997. RM 6.8 Culver Gage Osborne Canyon gage Carcass Trail RM 8.4 RM 13.5 Horny Hollow

RM 19

Terrebonne gage RM 27.7 Crooked Gains - Osborne to Carcass

700

600

500 Questions ?

400

300

200 GAINS, IN CFS GAINS, 100

02002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

YEAR Crooked River Monthly Flows

2500

Terrebonne Osborne Canyon 2000 Opal Springs

1500

1000

500

MEAN MONTHLY FLOW, IN CFS MEAN MONTHLY 0 Jul Apr Jun Jan Oct Nov Feb Mar Aug Sep Dec May RM 120 RM 6.8 Culver Gage Opal Springs Gage Osborne Canyon gage RM 13.5

RM 19

RM 133

Lower Bridge Terrebonne gage RM 27.7 600

Middle500 Deschutes Historic Seepage Runs

400 1992 seepage 1994 seepage 2005 USGS seepage 300 2005 OWRD/USGS Culver Lower Bridge Lower Below Bend 200 FLOW, IN CFS 100

0 110120130140150160170 River Mile RM 120 Culver Gage Opal Springs Gage Osborne Canyon gage

Above Whychus

Riffle Lane

RM 133

Lower Bridge Terrebonne gage 25 Middle Deschutes River Gains

20 gains Lower Bridge (RM 133.5) to Riffle Lane (RM 130.5)

GAINS, IN CFS 51990 1995 2000 2005 2010 YEAR

G A 0 I N S 350 Middle Deschutes River Gains 300 gainsQuestions above Whychus (RM 123.3) ? to Culver (RM 120.6) 250

200

150

GAINS, IN CFS 100 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 YEAR 50 0 Middle Deschutes River Monthly Flows

Below Bend

Lower Bridge 1600 1400 Culver 1200 1000 800 600 400 200 0 MEAN MONTHLY FLOW, IN CFS MEAN MONTHLY Jul Apr Oct Jun Mar Jan Aug May Feb Nov Sep Dec MONTH In summary, its focusing on each reach groundwater gain Additional Streamflow Study Ideas

•Flow duration values •Temporal trends •Mine and analyze other data Let’s look at Temperature data

•Published data •Unpublished data

Hint: Making sense of the data set we have Crooked River Water Temperatures Crooked25 River Water Temperatures 20 max Osborne (RM 13.4) max Opal Springs (RM 6.7)

5 Temperature, in degrees C Temperature, in

0 Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sep Month Opal Springs

Caldwell (1998) - Opal Springs water temperature are 10 C Springs in the Crooked River Canyon Deschutes River Water Temperatures 20 Middle Deschutes Water max below Bend (RM 164.3) Temperaturemax near Culver (RM 120.1) Data 15

5 Temperature, in degrees C Temperature, in

0 Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug Sep Month Additional Temperature Study Ideas •Mine and analyze other data •Temporal trends ? •Ground truth Flir data •Re-establish Osborne temperature collection Oregon has come a long way since Russell, Stearns and 2003….. In summary …… Since Russell (1905) definition, we are better quantifying the ground water gains at each reach of these rivers Web Resources

OR USGS Data Web Page : http://pubs.usgs.gov/wdr/

USGS Deschutes Page: http://or.water.usgs.gov/projs_dir/deschutes_gw/ Questions ? Gannett and Lite (2002) Enhancements ?

1. Incorporate recent collected data 2. Improve stream gain loss calibration in Gannett groundwater model 3. Incorporate water quality into Gannett model Flow Data Uncertainty

Excellent (within 2 percent) Good (within 5 percent) Fair (within 8 percent) Poor (greater than 8 percent) Temperature Data Uncertainty

0.1 degrees in 2007

2.0 degrees in 1964 (Moore)