FINAL Lamprey River Protected Instream Flow Report 13 July 2009 NHDES-R-WD-08-26 FINAL Lamprey River Protected Instream Flow Report Prepared by Normandeau Associates, Inc. Rushing Rivers Institute University of New Hampshire Watershed Management Bureau NH Department of Environmental Services PO Box 95 - 29 Hazen Drive Concord, NH 03302-0095 Telephone 603-271-3548 Fax 603-271-7894 http://des.nh.gov/organization/divisions/water/wmb/rivers/instream/index Thomas S. Burack Commissioner Michael Walls Assistant Commissioner Harry T. Stewart. P. E., Director Water Division 13 July 2009 1/31/2020 ii TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .............................................................................. xv Introduction ........................................................................................................................ xvi Protected Instream Flows and Protected Entities – Definition and Identification ............. xvi Natural Flow Paradigm ..................................................................................................... xvii Protected Instream Flow Assessment .............................................................................. xviii Assessment of Human Use Flow Needs ........................................................................ xix Assessment of Environmental Flow Needs ................................................................... xix Assessment for Fish .................................................................................................. xix Assessment for Riparian Wildlife and Vegetation .................................................. xxii Lamprey Designated River Protected Instream Flows ..................................................... xxii Protected Instream Flow for Boating ............................................................................ xxii Protected Instream Flows for Fish and Aquatic Life ................................................... xxiii Protected Instream Flows for Riparian Wildlife and Vegetation................................. xxiv Protected Instream Flows for the Lamprey Designated River .......................................... xxv Boating .......................................................................................................................... xxv Fish and Aquatic Life.................................................................................................... xxv Riparian Wildlife and Vegetation ................................................................................ xxvi Winter Survival and Development ........................................................................ xxvii Spring Spawning/Growth ...................................................................................... xxvii Summer Survival and Development ...................................................................... xxvii Maintenance of Protected Instream Flows for the Lamprey Designated River .............. xxvii LAMPREY RIVER PROTECTED INSTREAM FLOW REPORT ............. 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 1 Part One – Protected Instream Flow Assessment............................................ 5 I. Protected Instream Flow Study Area Description ............................................................ 5 A. Watershed Description ................................................................................................ 5 B. Designated River Description ..................................................................................... 7 II. Protected Entities as Protection Goals ............................................................................ 9 III. Occurrence of Protected Entities on the Lamprey Designated River ........................... 13 A. Recreation ................................................................................................................. 13 1. Boating ..................................................................................................................13 2. Fishing ...................................................................................................................15 3. Swimming .............................................................................................................18 B. Public Water Supply.................................................................................................. 19 1. University of New Hampshire/Town of Durham Water System (UDWS) ...........19 2. Newmarket Water Works ......................................................................................20 C. Habitat, Maintenance and Enhancement of Aquatic Life and Fish........................... 20 1. Lamprey River Fish ...............................................................................................21 2. Lamprey Designated River Existing Fish Community .........................................21 3. Existing Benthic Macro-Invertebrate Community ................................................25 D. Rare, Threatened and Endangered: Wildlife, Vegetation, and Natural/Ecological Communities ................................................................................................................... 25 1/31/2020 - ii - 1. Natural Communities and Rare, Threatened, and Endangered Plants ..................29 2. Wildlife ..................................................................................................................35 3. Exotic/Invasive Species .........................................................................................44 IV. Assessment of Protected Flows ................................................................................... 46 A. Survey Methods for Recreational Uses ..................................................................... 46 1. Boating ..................................................................................................................46 2. Swimming .............................................................................................................51 3. Summary of Recreational Flow Assessments .......................................................54 B. Survey of Public Water Supplies .............................................................................. 55 1. University of New Hampshire/Town of Durham (UDWS) ..................................56 2. Town of Newmarket ..............................................................................................58 3. Summary of Public Water Supply Flow Assessment ............................................59 C. Floodplain Transect Methods for Riparian Wildlife and Vegetation ........................ 60 1. Natural Community Flow Requirements ..............................................................67 2. Rare, Threatened, and Endangered Plant Flow Requirements ..............................71 3. Rare, Threatened, and Endangered Wildlife Flow Requirements .........................72 D. MesoHABSIM Incremental Flow Model for Aquatic Life and Fish ........................ 75 1. Study Areas of the Lamprey Designated River .....................................................75 2. River Sections and Representative Sites ...............................................................76 3. Habitat Data Collection .........................................................................................84 4. Habitat Mapping Surveys ......................................................................................84 5. Target Fish Community .........................................................................................85 6. Indicator Fish Species ...........................................................................................95 7. Bioperiods .............................................................................................................97 8. Habitat Suitability Criteria ....................................................................................99 9. Rating Curves under Existing Conditions .............................................................99 10. Comparison of Lamprey River Suitable Habitat Availability for TFC and Existing Community Species ............................................................................114 11. Discussion of Existing Conditions Simulation ..................................................115 12. Defining Baseline Stream Morphological Conditions ......................................116 13. Results of the Modeling of Baseline Conditions ...............................................118 14. Discussion of Baseline Conditions Simulation .................................................132 15. Habitat Time Series Analysis ............................................................................132 16. Time Series Analysis Results ............................................................................138 17. Protected Habitat Flow Levels and Durations ...................................................145 18. Protected Instream Flow Recommendations for Aquatic Life and Fish ...........152 V. Protected Instream Flows for the Lamprey Designated River .................................... 155 VI. Maintenance of Protected Instream Flows for the Lamprey Designated River ......... 158 VII. Error and Uncertainty ............................................................................................... 158 A. Hydrologic Assessment and Stream Flow Estimates .............................................