Design and Initial Results from an Integrated, Probabilistic Stream Monitoring Survey in Portland, OR

Jason Law City of Portland Bureau of Environmental Services • Why a new monitoring program? • Master sample creation • Sample design • Response design • What we have found so far • Issues and successes “A healthy urban watershed has hydrologic, habitat, and water quality conditions suitable to protect human health, maintain viable ecological functions and processes, and support self-sustaining populations of native fish and wildlife species whose natural ranges include the Portland area.” Why a new program?

• Portland watersheds managed using a watershed approach • Watershed managers had different monitoring objectives • Difficult to get a sense of city wide status Oregon Master Sample NHD 2009 Extent of LiDAR Delineation

0 5 102.5 Miles NHD 2009 LiDAR Derived Extent of LiDAR Delineation

0 5 102.5 Miles Incorporating frame updates

• Move master sample points to new frame • Remove master sample points where stream trace does not exist on new frame • Add sample points to the updated frame 0 0.2 0.40.1 Miles 0 0.2 0.40.1 Miles Oregon Master Sample Additional Sites LiDAR Derived Extent of LiDAR Delineation

0 5 102.5 Miles Columbia Slough

Willamette River

Johnson Creek

City Master Sample Forest Park Stratum Tualatin River Columbia Slough Tualatin River Johnson Creek Willamette River 0 2.5 51.25 Miles Stream Target Population Panel Stratum Number of Sites 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014 ... Panel 1 Perennial 20

Intermittent - Other 8

Intermittent - Forest Park 4

Panel 2 Perennial 20

Intermittent - Other 8

Intermittent - Forest Park 4 ... Panel 3 Perennial 20

Intermittent - Other 8

Intermittent - Forest Park 4

Panel 4 Perennial 20

Intermittent - Other 8

Intermittent - Forest Park 4 Columbia Slough

Willamette River Flow, Panel Intermittent, 1 Intermittent, 2 Johnson Creek Perennial, 1 Perennial, 2 Forest Park Stratum Tualatin River Columbia Slough Tualatin River Johnson Creek Willamette River 0 2.5 51.25 Miles Stream Target Population Response Design

“A healthy urban watershed has hydrologic, habitat, and water quality conditions suitable to ... support self- sustaining populations of native fish and wildlife species ” Electrofishing Habitat

Water quality

Aquatic macroinvertebrate

Temperature monitoring Avian point counts Perennial Intermittent

NRSA habitat protocol Yes Yes

Water quality 4 samples 2 samples

Wet weather water quality 1 sample 1 sample

Avian point count Yes Yes

Electrofishing Yes Yes

Macro-invertebrate Yes No

Temperature monitoring Yes No Whitaker Slough (0273) Upper Slough (0129) Columbia Slough Upper Slough (0080) Perennial Lower Slough (0329) Elrod Slough (0017)

Veterans (0060) Middle Johnson (0272)

Middle Johnson (0188) Johnson Creek Middle Johnson (0124) Perennial Lower Johnson (0352) Season Kelley(0016) Summer Powell Butte (0636) Johnson Creek Intermittent Mitchell (0476) Fall

Golf (0122) Tualatin Storm Cedar Mill (0298) Perennial Tualatin Bronson (0345) Winter Intermittent

Woods (0058) Fanno Creek Spring Fanno Mainstem (0314) Perennial Fanno Creek Woods (0426) Intermittent Water TCSNA (0208) Try on Creek Quality Nettle (0144) Perennial Criteria Stephens (0524) Below Willamette Streams Stephens (0012) Perennial Balch (0250) Above

Tanner (0186) Saltzman (0137) Forest Park (0506)

Forest Park (0121) Willamette Streams Forest Park (0105) Intermittent Forest Park (0014) Bones (0378) Balch (0078)

0.5 1 2 5 10 20

Copper (ug/L) Whitaker Slough (0273) Upper Slough (0129) Columbia Slough Upper Slough (0080) Perennial Lower Slough (0329) Elrod Slough (0017)

Veterans (0060) Middle Johnson (0272)

Middle Johnson (0188) Johnson Creek Middle Johnson (0124) Perennial Lower Johnson (0352) Kelley(0016) Season

Powell Butte (0636) Johnson Creek Summer Mitchell (0476) Intermittent Fall Golf (0122) Tualatin Cedar Mill (0298) Perennial Storm Tualatin Bronson (0345) Intermittent Winter Woods (0058) Fanno Creek Perennial Fanno Mainstem (0314) Spring Fanno Creek Woods (0426) Intermittent

TCSNA (0208) Try on Creek Detected Nettle (0144) Perennial Detected Stephens (0524) Willamette Streams Stephens (0012) Perennial Undetected Balch (0250)

Tanner (0186) Saltzman (0137) Forest Park (0506)

Forest Park (0121) Willamette Streams Forest Park (0105) Intermittent Forest Park (0014) Bones (0378) Balch (0078)

10 20 50 100 200 500 1000 2000 5000 1000020000

E. Coli (mpn/100 ml)

Successes So Far

• Assessing watershed status consistently across city • Collecting data for multiple uses: MS4, ESA • Successfully incorporated frame improvement • Increased comparability

dry wet dry wet dry wet dry wet dry wet 02 01020502000 500 200 100 50 20 10 .coli e.