Open Waterway Maintenance Plans City of Eugene Public Works Department Parks and Open Space Division 1820 Roosevelt Boulevard Eugene, OR 97402‐4159 541‐682‐4800 www.eugene‐or.gov/parks Updated in 2014 Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................ I EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................ II BACKGROUND AND REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS .................................................................. 1 METHODOLOGY ....................................................................................................................... 8 AMAZON BASIN ..................................................................................................................... 10 AMAZON HEADWATERS ............................................................................................................................................... 20 AMAZON (MARTIN STREET TO SNELL AVENUE) ................................................................................................................. 25 AMAZON (SNELL AVENUE TO FOX HOLLOW ROAD) ........................................................................................................... 30 TH AMAZON (FOX HOLLOW ROAD TO 30 AVENUE) ............................................................................................................. 34 TH TH AMAZON (30 AVENUE TO 24 AVENUE) ...................................................................................................................... 39 TH AMAZON (24 AVENUE TO FAIRGROUNDS) ..................................................................................................................... 43 AMAZON (FAIRGROUNDS TO CHAMBERS STREET) .............................................................................................................. 48 AMAZON (CHAMBERS STREET TO CITY VIEW STREET) ........................................................................................................ 53 AMAZON (CITY VIEW STREET TO OAK PATCH ROAD) ......................................................................................................... 58 AMAZON (OAK PATCH ROAD TO BAILEY HILL ROAD) ......................................................................................................... 62 AMAZON ACE (BAILEY HILL ROAD TO RAILROAD) ............................................................................................................. 67 AMAZON (RAILROAD TO ROYAL AVENUE) ........................................................................................................................ 72 AMAZON (ROYAL AVENUE TO FERN RIDGE RESERVOIR) ...................................................................................................... 77 BETHEL‐DANEBO .................................................................................................................... 82 A‐3 CHANNEL ............................................................................................................................................................ 87 A‐2 CHANNEL ............................................................................................................................................................ 93 GOLDEN GARDENS PONDS ............................................................................................................................................ 98 GREENHILL TRIBUTARY ............................................................................................................................................... 103 MARSHALL CHANNEL ................................................................................................................................................. 107 ROOSEVELT CHANNEL ................................................................................................................................................ 111 WILLAKENZIE BASIN ............................................................................................................. 115 ASCOT CREEK ........................................................................................................................................................... 119 CANOE CANAL .......................................................................................................................................................... 123 DELTA PONDS AND DEBRICK SLOUGH ........................................................................................................................... 128 GILHAM CREEK ......................................................................................................................................................... 134 NORTH BELTLINE FLOODWAY ...................................................................................................................................... 139 WILLAMETTE RIVER BASIN ................................................................................................... 145 MILLRACE ................................................................................................................................................................ 146 RIVER ROAD‐SANTA CLARA BASIN ........................................................................................ 152 EAST SANTA CLARA WATERWAY .................................................................................................................................. 153 FLAT CREEK ............................................................................................................................................................. 157 SPRIN CREEK ............................................................................................................................................................ 163 LAUREL HILL BASIN ............................................................................................................... 167 LAUREL HILL CREEK ................................................................................................................................................... 168 RESOURCE REFERENCES ....................................................................................................... 172 Acknowledgements The original Open Waterway Maintenance Plans were completed in February 10, 2003. These plans were developed by: Trevor Taylor and Jack Long. Other contributors included: Gene Shutt, Richard Zucker, John Clark, Jesse Cary‐Hobbs, Brian Elliott, Tim Rhay, Jeff Lankston, Johnny Medlin, Scott Duckett, Therese Walch, and Linda Harris. The Open Waterway Maintenance Plans were updated in 2008 and again in 2014 with contributions by Lauri Holts, Trevor Taylor, Ryan Turner, Rachel Burr, and Eric Wold. Open Waterway Maintenance Plans (May 2014) i Executive Summary The City of Eugene’s Comprehensive Stormwater Management Plan (CSWMP) emphasizes stormwater management for multiple objectives, including conveyance and flood protection, improved and protected water quality, and improved and protected natural resource values. Among the key strategies identified in CSWMP to achieve these three goals is the careful assessment and planning of open waterway maintenance. With this charge, staff prepared the enclosed Open Waterway Maintenance Plans (OWMP). These plans represent an effort to thoroughly evaluate open waterways under the City’s purview and to identify maintenance objectives, methods, and schedules, which balance the often conflicting goals of improving flood protection, water quality, and natural resource values. The OWMP consist of individual plans for all waterways in Eugene that have a history of City maintenance or that are expected to require maintenance in the future. All totaled, the plan covers nearly 30 linear miles of open waterways including natural and engineered channels. The individual plans are structured to provide general information about the waterway, followed by a description of the waterway with emphasis on its location, physical characteristics, vegetation, and accessibility to the City’s existing maintenance equipment and vehicles. Whereas the individual waterway plans contained in the OWMPs provide a solid basis for making operational decisions, the City recognized from the start that open waterways are dynamic by nature and that an adaptive approach would be needed for all recurring or on‐going maintenance practices and techniques. The 2008 and 2014 revisions of these plans were driven in large part by the desire ensure the OWMPs reflect this adaptive management approach. Open Waterway Maintenance Plans (May 2014) ii Background and Regulatory Requirements Prior to the adoption of Eugene’s Comprehensive Stormwater Management Plan (CSWMP) in November, 1993, open waterway maintenance practices conducted by the City of Eugene Public Works Department focused almost exclusively on the single objective of ensuring the maximum conveyance capacity of the various creeks, channels, and roadside ditches that are part of the City’s stormwater system. To this end, a schedule for routine maintenance was established that called for each section of the City’s major flood control channels to be “cleaned” every seven years. Smaller channels, creeks, and roadside ditches under the City’s jurisdiction were maintained on a less regular basis, the frequency dictated primarily by citizen complaint and/or the type and scope of conveyance issues noted by City staff. The maintenance