Johnson Creek Watershed Characterization March 2005 PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK Table of Content TABLE OF CONTENTS JOHNSON CREEK WATERSHED CHARACTERIZATION TABLE OF CONTENTS................................................................................................................. I ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS........................................................................................2 WATERSHED CHARACTERIZATION .......................................................................................1 1. INTRODUCTION ...........................................................................................................1 2. WATERSHED DESCRIPTION......................................................................................2 2.1. General Location and Size...........................................................................................2 3. JURISDICTIONS AND SUB-WATERSHEDS..............................................................2 4. LANDSCAPE FACTORS...............................................................................................4 4.1. Topography..................................................................................................................4 4.2. Soils..............................................................................................................................4 5. BUILT ENVIRONMENT CONDITIONS......................................................................5 5.1. History of Land Use Changes......................................................................................5 5.2. Existing Land Use........................................................................................................5 5.3. Existing Urbanization ..................................................................................................6 5.4. Future Urbanization ....................................................................................................6 5.5. Impervious Surfaces.....................................................................................................9 5.6. Stormwater and Sanitary Infrastructure....................................................................10 5.7. Transportation Infrastructure....................................................................................11 5.8. Channelization ...........................................................................................................12 5.9. Water Rights...............................................................................................................12 6. WATERSHED CONDITIONS .....................................................................................14 6.1. Flow and Hydrology ..................................................................................................17 6.2. Physical Habitats within the Johnson Creek Watershed ...........................................27 6.3. Water Quality.............................................................................................................39 6.4. Biological Communities.............................................................................................50 7. WATERSHED PROBLEMS AND OPPORTUNITIES ...............................................55 7.1. Overview ....................................................................................................................55 7.2. Data Needs.................................................................................................................55 7.3. Assessment of Risks....................................................................................................56 7.4. Key Limiting Factors (Problems) ..............................................................................57 7.5. High Priority Areas and Actions 67 REFERENCES ..............................................................................................................................78 GLOSSARY ..................................................................................................................................83 APPENDIX A: AQUATIC INVENTORIES PROJECT ..............................................................89 APPENDIX B: CITY OF PORTLAND AMBIENT MONITORING PROGRAM ...................108 APPENDIX C: EXCERPTS FROM JOHNSON CREEK CULVERT CROSSING INVENTORY…………………………………………………………………………………..110 i Johnson Creek Watershed Characterization Table of Contents APPENDIX D: ODFW 2001-2003 FISH INVENTORIES IN JOHNSON CREEK WATERSHED.............................................................................................................................120 APPENDIX E: JOHNSON, CRYSTAL SPRINGS, AND KELLEY CREEK COHO PROTECTION AND RESTORATION STRATEGIC PRIORITY SUMMERY ......................122 APPENDIX F: SUMMARY OF COMPLETED PROJECTS IN JOHNSON CREEK WATERSHED.............................................................................................................................125 APPENDIX G: JOHNSON CREEK WATERSHED COUNCIL WATERSHED ACTION PLAN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY ..............................................................................................127 Appendices Appendix A Selected summaries of Aquatic Inventories Project Appendix B City of Portland Ambient Monitoring Program Appendix C Johnson Creek Culvert Crossing Inventory Appendix D ODFW 2001-2003 Fish Inventories in Johnson Creek Watershed Appendix E Johnson, Crystal Springs and Kelley Creek Coho Protection and Restoration Strategic Priority Summary Appendix F Summary of Completed Projects in Johnson Creek Watershed Appendix G JCWC Watershed Action Plan Annotated Bibliography List of Figures Figure 1 General Watershed Location and Jurisdictional Boundaries Map Figure 2 Land Use within the Johnson Creek Watershed Figure 3 Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) and Expansion Areas within and adjacent to the Johnson Creek Watershed Figure 4 Johnson Creek Subwatersheds and ODFW Stream Reaches Figure 5 Monthly Average Flow by Decade Figure 6 1996 Flood inundation areas map of Johnson Creek Figure 7 Nuisance Flood Footprint Figure 8 Passage Barriers in the Johnson Creek watershed Figure 9 Preliminary Plot of Current and Potential Conditions for Effective Shade by River Mile in the Johnson Creek Watershed Figure 10 E. coli bacteria levels throughout the Johnson Creek watershed Figure 11 Johnson Creek Coho Protection and Restoration Summary Figure 13 EDT Model Results for Steelhead Trajectories, Productivity, and Capacity for the Willamette, Johnson Creek segments, and major tributaries Figure 14 EDT Model Results for Steelhead Trajectory Productivity for Johnson Creek Reaches Figure 15 High Priority Areas within the Johnson Creek watershed List of Tables Table 1. Water Rights including number of Claims, Permits, Applications, or Certificates within the Johnson Creek Drainage Basin Johnson Creek Watershed Characterization ii Table of Content Table 2. ODFW Stream Reaches Table 3. USGS Gaging Stations within the Johnson Creek Drainage Basin Table 4. Flow and Hydrology Indicators within the Johnson Creek Watershed Table 5. Habitat Indicators in the Johnson Creek Watershed Table 6. Seasonal Average Oregon Water Quality Index (OWQI) Results for the Lower Willamette Basin (WY 1986-1995) Table 7. Storm Event Sampling Results in Johnson Creek at Palmblad Road (Gresham) Table 8. Sediment sample results in Johnson Creek Table 9. Sediment guidelines – Dredged Material Evaluation Framework Table 10. Priority Pollutants and 303(d) listings in Johnson Creek Table 11. Water Quality Indicators in the Johnson Creek Watershed Table 12. Biological Indicators in the Johnson Creek Watershed Table 13. Linkages between the Indicators of Human Influences and Activities and their impacts on the Riverine-Riparian Indicators Table 14. EDT Model Results for Coho Trajectories, Capacity, and Productivity Table 15. Preliminary EDT Model Results for Steelhead iii Johnson Creek Watershed Characterization Acronyms and Abbreviations ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS AC-FT Acre-feet ASA American Sportfishing Association BES Bureau of Environmental Services B-IBI Benthic – Index of Biotic Integrity BMP Best Management Practice CAFO Confined Animal Feeding Operations CCSWCD Clackamas County Soil & Water Conservation District Cfs Cubic Feet per Second CIP Capital Improvement Project CSO Combined Sewer Overflow CWA Clean Water Act Dbh Diameter at breast height DEQ Department of Environmental Quality DO Dissolved Oxygen DDE Breakdown component of pesticide DDT DDD Breakdown component of pesticide DDT DDT Pesticide (1,1,1-trichloro-2, 2-bis (p-chlorophenyl) ethane) EDT Ecosystem Diagnostic & Treatment EMSWCD East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District EPA Environmental Protection Agency EPSC Erosion Prevention and Sediment Control EPT Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Tricotera ESA Endangered Species Act ESRA Environmentally Sensitive Restoration Area ESU Evolutionarily Significant Unit Johnson Creek Watershed Characterization 2 Acronyms and Abbreviations FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency FLIR Forward Looking Infrared Radar FWS Fall, Winter, and Spring GIS Geographic Information System IBI Index of Biotic Integrity JCCC Johnson Creek Corridor Committee JCJCCC Johnson Creek Joint Culvert Crossing Committee JCWC Johnson Creek Watershed Council JLA Jeanne Lawson Associates, Inc. LWD Large Woody Debris MS4 Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System Msl Mean Sea Level NMFS National Marine Fisheries Service (now NOAA Fisheries) NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency NPDES National Pollutant