Hood River Watershed Assessment Report
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Hood River Soil & Water Conservation District Hood River Watershed Assessment Hood River Mainstem West Fork Hood River t Br l o R East Fork Hood l River t N Middle Fork Hood River December 1999 This page blank intentionally Acknowledgements The Hood River Watershed Assessment is a project of the Hood River Watershed Group and the Hood River Soil and Water Conservation District, whose members are dedicated to working together locally to improve the sustainability and health of natural resources in the Hood River system. Financial assistance was provided from the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board, Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation and For the Sake of the Salmon Foundation. Invaluable technical assistance was received from the U.S. Forest Service Hood River Ranger District, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation, Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Department and the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board. Prepared by Holly Coccoli, Hood River Watershed Group Contributors Bonnie Lamb, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality Karen Hale, U.S. Forest Service Ed Salminen, Watershed Professionals Network Monica Burke John Wells, U.S. Forest Service Holly Coccoli, Hood River Watershed Group Reviewers Dennis Carlson, Hood River County Brian Nakamura, Hood River Grower Shipper Association Jim Newton, Steve Pribyl and Rod French, Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife Mick Jennings and Mike Lambert, Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation Larry Toll, Oregon Water Resources Department Rick Ragan, U.S. Forest Service Hood River Ranger District John Buckley, East Fork Irrigation District Bill Stanley and Brian Conners, Middle Fork Irrigation District Jerry Bryan, Farmers Irrigation District Steve Hansen, Longview Fibre Company Randy Johnston, City of Hood River Linda Prendergrast, PacifiCorp Larry Hoffman, Oregon Department of Forestry John Bartlett, Hood River Soil & Water Conservation District Chuck Gehling, Hood River Soil & Water Conservation District Mike Udelius, Hood River Soil & Water Conservation District Anne Saxby, Hood River Soil & Water Conservation District TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION...............................................................................................1 PURPOSE AND NEED FOR THE WATERSHED ASSESSMENT ............................................................ 1 WATERSHED DESCRIPTION .......................................................................................................... 5 2. HISTORICAL CONDITIONS ........................................................................12 WATERSHED CONDITIONS AT THE TIME OF SETTLEMENT .......................................................... 12 HISTORICAL CONDITIONS OUTLINE ........................................................................................... 17 3. CHANNEL HABITAT TYPES IN THE HOOD RIVER WATERSHED..19 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 19 METHODS AND RESULTS............................................................................................................ 23 4. FISH POPULATION STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION ..............................29 HABITAT CONDITIONS SUMMARY.............................................................................................. 41 FISH PASSAGE PROBLEMS.......................................................................................................... 45 5. CHANNEL MODIFICATIONS......................................................................52 HISTORIC AND EXISTING CHANNEL MODIFICATIONS................................................................. 52 6. HYDROLOGY AND WATER USE ................................................................56 CLIMATE AND STREAMFLOW ..................................................................................................... 56 WATER RIGHTS AND WATER USE.............................................................................................. 65 7. WATER QUALITY..........................................................................................74 SUMMARY OF AVAILABLE WATER QUALITY DATA AND CONCERNS ......................................... 76 8. RIPARIAN AND WETLANDS CONDITIONS............................................93 HOOD RIVER MAINSTEM WATERSHED RIPARIAN ASSESSMENT ................................................ 93 WETLANDS ASSESSMENT......................................................................................................... 100 9. SEDIMENT SOURCES ..................................................................................105 NATURAL SEDIMENT SOURCES ................................................................................................ 105 SEDIMENT SOURCES FROM LAND USE ..................................................................................... 107 10. UPLAND VEGETATION AND WILDLIFE HABITAT.........................113 11. WATERSHED CONDITION EVALUATION...........................................120 SUMMARY OF KEY FINDINGS ................................................................................................... 123 REFERENCE LIST...................................................................................................................... 128 WATER QUALITY APPENDIX 0 1. INTRODUCTION Purpose and Need for the Watershed Assessment The Hood River Watershed Assessment was prepared by the Hood River Watershed Group (HRWG), a forum of landowners, businesses, growers, sport fishers, irrigation/water districts, individuals, state, federal and tribal agencies, and local government working cooperatively for a healthier environment and sustainable natural resources. The HRWG is one of 84 locally- formed “watershed councils” statewide that are a key part of the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds. The Oregon Plan is designed to improve the health of the state’s aquatic resources. In contrast to Endangered Species Act and environmental protection emphasizing regulations, the Oregon Plan relies on voluntary action, government coordination , monitoring and accountability, public education and the prioritized enforcement of environmental laws. The purpose of the assessment is to characterize watershed and stream habitat conditions to support planning for watershed health and fish recovery efforts. It will be used to develop a Watershed Action Plan in the year 2000 that will prioritize cooperative habitat protection, restoration, monitoring and education projects for implementation. Watershed assessments and analyses use a science-based, ecosystem approach to identify areas that need protection or rehabilitation. The Hood River watershed assessment generally follows the Oregon Watershed Assessment Manual prepared for the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (Watershed Professionals Network, 1999). Its geographic scope covers the whole Hood River subbasin. The Hood River is located on the east slope of the Cascade Range and enters the Columbia River 22 miles above Bonneville Dam. Its 339-square mile watershed supports bull trout, spring chinook salmon, summer and winter steelhead, rainbow and cutthroat trout, and lesser numbers of fall chinook and coho salmon. Hood River fish populations have declined markedly in the last decades. Native Hood River spring chinook became extinct in the early 1970s, along with native coho and fall chinook stocks. In 1998, steelhead and bull trout in the Hood River were listed as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Presently, all but the lower 4 miles of the Hood River are closed to salmon and steelhead angling. Several stream sections are listed under the Clean Water Act as water quality-impaired. In the Hood River as throughout the Pacific Northwest, loss and damage to spawning and rearing habitat are not due to a single factor, but are caused by the combination of many impacts over time. Dams, diversions, agriculture, timber harvest and other land use practices - have all contributed to the decline of Hood River salmon and steelhead habitat (BPA 1996). While parallel measures regionwide and in the Hood River target other contributing factors affecting native fish populations (e.g., overharvest, hatchery interactions, predation) – the watershed assessment focuses on freshwater habitat conditions. 1 Social and Economic Background The watershed lies within Hood River County and has a current (1999) population of approximately 19,000. The County experienced an annual growth rate of 2.04% between 1990 and 1995 (CGEDA 1998). The County population is projected to increase by 3,000 to 4,000 people every five years, reaching an estimated 36,483 by the year 2040. Approximately 65% of the watershed is publicly-owned, with 51% in federal ownership. Of the private land, a large percentage is zoned as either Exclusive Farm Use (one third) or Forest Land (one half). An overview of current land use is provided in Figure 1-1. The County is neither urban or rural, but somewhere in between with small urban centers in Odell, Parkdale, and the City of Hood River. The population is dispersed, with 67% of County residents living outside of urban growth boundaries Zoning under the current Comprehensive Land Use Plan will allow an estimated 4,200 new lots and parcels that will accommodate about 10,000 additional people outside of City limits (USFS 1996a ). County-Owned Forest 14% Longview Fibre 10% National Forest 51% Orchard 7% Irrigated Pasture