National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Natural Resource Program Center Water Resources Division 2003 ANNUAL REPORT Water Resources Division 2003 ANNUAL REPORT Natural Resource Program Center 1201 Oakridge Drive, Suite 250 Fort Collins, CO 80525 Natural Resources Report NPS/NRWRD/NRR-04/01 National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Washington, DC This entire publication, including useful embedded hyperlinks, is available in PDF format at: http://www.nature.nps.gov/water/wrdpub.htm front cover, large photo: Missouri National Recreational River (Jackson, 2003) front cover, inset photos: Channel Islands National Seashore, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park, Grand Teton National Park (NPS) opposite: Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (NPS, 1993) Flood on Clear Creek, Obed Wild and Scenic River (Hughes, 2002) The Water Resources Division of the National Park Service is responsible for providing water resources management policy and guidelines, planning, technical assistance, training, and operation support to units of the National Park System. Program areas include water rights, water resources planning, regulatory guidance and review, hydrology, water quality, watershed management, groundwater, fishery and marine resources management, and aquatic ecology. The National Park Service disseminates the results of biological, physical, and social research through the National Resources Technical Report Series. Natural resources inventories and monitoring activities, scientific literature reviews, bibliographies, and proceedings of technical workshops and conferences are also disseminated through this series. CONTENTS A Word from the Associate Director Natural Resource Stewardship and Science.........................................................................7 Comments from the Division Chief .................................................................................................... 8 Washington Program Coordination Office................................................................................ 10 Water Resources in National Parks Reference Collection ......................................................... 11 Planning and Evaluation Branch Highlights ...................................................................... 12 • Coral Reef Monuments Gain Momentum.............................................................................. 14 • Wetland Mitigation Partnerships: Opportunities for Funding Wetland Restorations in National Parks................................................................................................ 15 • Focus On The Future: Water Resources Planning In The Context Of Overall Park Planning........................................................................................................................... 17 • Understanding Hydrologic Hazards in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve .......... 18 • Survey of Plankton in the Green River at Mammoth Cave National Park........................... 20 Water Operations Branch Highlights ................................................................................. 23 • River Management on the Missouri....................................................................................... 24 • Sensitivity and Detection Limits For Field Measurements .................................................... 26 • Project To Develop A Summary Compendium Of Watershed Condition Assessment Methods............................................................................................................... 28 • Assessing Flood Hazard in Channel Islands National Park.................................................... 29 • Agency Collaboration in Support of Water Quality Monitoring ......................................... 30 • WRD Completes Six Month Evaluation of Water Quality Monitoring Instruments............ 31 • WRD Developing Database to Track Water Quality Performance Management for NPS and DOI Strategic Plans ............................................................................................. 33 • Development of a River Bank Management Program – Cuyahoga Valley National Park........................................................................................................................... 34 • Servicewide Water Quality Information Management Program Update............................ 35 • Baseline Water Quality Data Inventory and Analysis Report Procedures Redevelopment ....................................................................................................................... 36 • NPS Partners to Create the High-Resolution National Hydrography Dataset ..................... 37 Water Rights Branch Highlights ......................................................................................... 38 • Pending Water Right Application – Chickasaw National Recreation Area.......................... 39 • Paired Basin Study within Obed Wild and Scenic River Watershed to Assist in Determining the Impacts of Small Impoundments on Flow................................................. 40 • Instream Flow Water Right for Rincon Creek at Saguaro National Park............................. 41 • Collaborative Watershed Management in Progress at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore ................................................................................................................. 43 • Floodplain Decay Study on the Little Missouri River, Theodore Roosevelt National Park........................................................................................................................... 44 • Status of the Black Canyon Water Right................................................................................ 46 APPENDIX A - TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.............................................................................. 49 TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE - SERVICEWIDE.................................................................................... 49 TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE - VITAL SIGNS MONITORING NETWORKS.......................................... 54 TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE - REGIONS AND PARKS ....................................................................... 57 TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROVIDED BY NATURAL RESOURCE CHALLENGE AQUATIC RESOURCE FIELD PROFESSIONALS SERVICEWIDE ........................................................................................................................... 88 REGION, NETWORK, AND PARK SUPPORT............................................................................. 88 APPENDIX B - SUMMARY OF WATER RESOURCES DIVISION FUNDING: PROJECT AND PROGRAM ALLOCATIONS...................................................................... 97 APPENDIX C – PUBLICATIONS / CONTRIBUTIONS / AWARDS ......................................... 118 APPENDIX D – STAFF.......................................................................................................... 122 Acadia National Park (NPS) Water Resources Division Annual Report–2003 7 A Word from the Associate Director Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Mike Soukup, Ph.D. This annual report management and staff of parks, support provides a summary of offices, regional offices, and the Washington the 2003 accomplishments office on water resource issues. I continue to of the National Park believe that WRD provides a model for cost Service’s Water Resources effective, centralized support for the vast Division. The Division majority of parks that do not have the range provides Servicewide of water resource technical expertise they program management, need. accountability, technical assistance, and policy guidance with respect to the Much of this year’s success can be preservation, protection, and management attributed to the continued significant of water and aquatic resources of units of support from Congress for the Natural the National Park System. WRD provides Resource Challenge. The Challenge will its services directly to parks through a broad enable the Service to make major strides in range of programs in the areas of water preserving, protecting and understanding rights; water quality; floodplain management; water resources of the National Park groundwater analysis; watershed and System. The Challenge has been effective in wetlands protection and restoration; water garnering budget increases for water quality resources management planning; fisheries monitoring, water resources protection and and marine resources management; restoration projects, watershed condition policy, legislative, and regulatory analysis; assessments, and additional park-based information management; and training. The aquatic resource professionals. I continue Division’s work plan is developed from the to be very pleased with the leadership role annual Servicewide Comprehensive Call and that the Water Resources Division has played an annual technical assistance call to identify in developing and guiding implementation park needs, which in turn determines WRD’s of the water resources component of priorities. In addition to direct support the Challenge and providing program to parks, the Division provides day-to- accountability to Congress. day support to regional offices, networks, and the Washington office in addressing And kudos for this year’s accomplishments water resources issues facing the NPS. The are particularly well deserved given that Dan Division is located in Fort Collins, Colorado, Kimball, a pillar of strength in the Division, with additional offices in Denver, Colorado, has been moved to accept the challenge