Pilchuck River Tempature & DO TMDL
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Pilchuck River Temperature and Dissolved Oxygen Total Maximum Daily Load Water Quality Improvement Report and Implementation Plan December 2020 Publication 20-10-035 Publication xx-xx-xxx i Month Year Publication Information This report is available on the Department of Ecology’s website at: https://apps.wa.gov/ecy/publications/SummaryPages/2010035.html. Data for this project are available in Ecology’s EIM Database. Study ID: TSWA0004. The Activity Tracker Code for this study is 12-067. Suggested Citation: Mathieu, N., and H. Khan. 2020. Pilchuck River Temperature and Dissolved Oxygen Total Maximum Daily Load, Water Quality Improvement Report and Implementation Plan. Publication 20-10-035. Washington State Department of Ecology, Olympia. https://apps.wa.gov/ecy/publications/SummaryPages/2010035.html. Water Resource Inventory Area (WRIA) and 8-digit Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) numbers for the study area: WRIA 7; HUC number 17110011 - Snohomish. Contact Information Publications Coordinator Water Quality Program Washington State Department of Ecology P.O. Box 47600 Olympia, WA 98504-7600 Phone: 360 407-6600 Washington State Department of Ecology – https://ecology.wa.gov Headquarters, Olympia 360-407-6000 Northwest Regional Office, Bellevue 425-649-7000 Southwest Regional Office, Olympia 360-407-6300 Central Regional Office, Union Gap 509-575-2490 Eastern Regional Office, Spokane 509-329-3400 Cover photo: Eroding bank on the Middle Pilchuck River in need of riparian restoration. Photo taken by Nuri Mathieu, summer 2014. 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. To request ADA accommodation for disabilities, or printed materials in a format for the visually impaired, call the Ecology ADA Coordinator at 360-407-6831 or visit https://ecology.wa.gov/ accessibility. People with impaired hearing may call Washington Relay Service at 711. People with speech disability may call 877-833-6341. Pilchuck River Temperature and Dissolved Oxygen Total Maximum Daily Load Water Quality Improvement Report and Implementation Plan By Nuri Mathieu Environmental Assessment Program Washington State Department of Ecology Olympia, Washington And Heather Khan Water Quality Program Washington State Department of Ecology Bellevue, Washington Table of Contents Page Pilchuck River Temperature and Dissolved Oxygen Total Maximum Daily Load .... i Water Quality Improvement Report and Implementation Plan ................................... i Publication Information ............................................................................................. ii Pilchuck River Temperature and Dissolved Oxygen Total Maximum Daily Load ....1 Water Quality Improvement Report and Implementation Plan ..................................1 List of Appendices ........................................................................................................4 List of Figures ...............................................................................................................5 List of Tables ................................................................................................................8 Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................11 Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................................................12 Overview ................................................................................................................12 Scope ......................................................................................................................13 Uses of the Water Bodies .......................................................................................17 Water Quality Criteria............................................................................................18 Targets....................................................................................................................22 Sources of Impairment ...........................................................................................25 Climate Change ......................................................................................................27 Chapter 2: TMDL Allocations ..................................................................................29 TMDL Formula ......................................................................................................29 Loading Capacity ...................................................................................................31 Wasteload Allocations ...........................................................................................35 Reserve for Future Growth ....................................................................................45 Load Allocations ....................................................................................................46 Margin of Safety ....................................................................................................48 TMDL Calculation .................................................................................................49 Chapter 3: Implementation Plan ..............................................................................53 Introduction ............................................................................................................53 Land Distribution ...................................................................................................53 Point Sources of Pollution .....................................................................................55 Nonpoint Sources of Pollution ...............................................................................55 Organizations that Implement TMDLs ..................................................................92 Priorities and Timeline .........................................................................................101 Technical Feasibility ............................................................................................106 Costs .....................................................................................................................107 Outreach ...............................................................................................................116 Tracking Progress ................................................................................................118 Reasonable Assurance .........................................................................................123 Chapter 4: Detailed TMDL Study Results and Analysis .....................................125 Project Goal .........................................................................................................125 Project Objectives ................................................................................................125 Publication 20-10-035 December 2020 Page 2 Methods................................................................................................................126 Results and Discussion ........................................................................................132 Temperature TMDL Analysis and Allocations....................................................164 Dissolved Oxygen TMDL Analysis and Allocations ..........................................202 References .................................................................................................................227 Publication 20-10-035 December 2020 Page 3 List of Appendices The Appendices are available as a Supplemental file to this report at: https://apps.ecology.wa.gov/publications/summarypages/2010035.html Appendix A: Background Appendix B: Public Participation Appendix C: Glossary and Acronyms Appendix D: Data Summary Appendix E: Data Quality Results Appendix F: Model Documentation Appendix G: Natural Conditions Checklist Appendix H: Baseflow Loss Analysis Appendix I: NPDES Facility Analysis Appendix J: Streamflow Augmentation Analysis Appendix K: Reach Metrics Publication 20-10-035 December 2020 Page 4 List of Figures Figure 1. Dead fish found in isolated low oxygen habitat in the Pilchuck River. .............13 Figure 2: Pilchuck River watershed and TMDL study area with 303(d) impaired water bodies. ................................................................................................................................14 Figure 3. Temperature criteria impacts on salmonid activity. ...........................................21 Figure 4. Streamflow projections: Samish River, a warm water basin; Sauk River, a cold water basin with source waters at high elevations; and Snohomish River, a middle-elevation basin with substantial area near the current snowline (Mauger et al., 2015). .................................................................................................................................27 Figure 5. Land use in the Pilchuck River watershed. ........................................................54 Figure 6. Riparian restoration photo. .................................................................................58 Figure 7. Potential cold water refuge (CWR) spot with large woody material (LWM) for fish along the Pilchuck River .......................................................................................59 Figure 8. Example bioretention facility. ............................................................................62 Figure 9.